Benchmark Litigation Names Sanford Heisler Sharp A Tier 1 Labor and Employment Litigation Powerhouse

David Sanford and Nancy Rafuse Named Among Nation’s Top 20 Labor and Employment Litigators


NEW YORK, Oct. 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sanford Heisler Sharp announced today that Benchmark Litigation has named the firm as one of the nation’s eight Tier 1 labor and employment litigation law firms for 2023. It was one of only two of the eight firms on the list that exclusively represents plaintiffs.

The firm’s Co-Founder and Chairman David Sanford and its Firmwide Head of Litigation and Atlanta Managing Partner Nancy Rafuse were also named among the Top 20 labor and employment litigators in the United States.

“We are delighted at this outstanding showing by our firm,” said Sanford. “Our attorneys have continued to achieve excellent results for plaintiffs in some of the most meaningful public interest litigation matters this past year, and we are honored Benchmark Litigation has recognized our success. Most importantly, we are gratified by the outcomes and relief we are able to provide to our clients, year-over-year, in some of the most important employment, whistleblower, criminal and sexual violence, and financial service disputes.”

With eight offices across the U.S. – including a new office in Silicon Valley – Sanford Heisler Sharp again earned a number of high-profile, high-stakes wins this past year in litigation social justice matters.

Sanford has served as lead counsel in more than 50 class actions and numerous whistleblower and qui tam cases. He has also represented hundreds of C-Suite executives, attorneys (in-house and law firm counsel), tech workers, pharmaceutical employees, employees in the hospitality, service, health, manufacturing, and educational sectors, and others in discrimination, retaliation, and pay equity cases.

Rafuse joined Sanford Heisler Sharp in 2022. Prior to that she practiced employment law for three decades as an equity partner at Seyfarth Shaw, Polsinelli, Paul Hastings, and her own firm, Rafuse Hill & Hodges, LLP. She was trial counsel to a class of Louisiana State University women student athletes seeking equal participation opportunities in a high-profile Title IX matter that concluded successfully, as well as in a gender discrimination matter against an Applebee’s franchisee on behalf of a female store manager that resulted in an approximately $1.9 million verdict for her client.

“I am pleased to continue my career at a firm that is working to protect the rights of individuals who are discriminated against in education and employment,” said Rafuse. “I am honored to be recognized by Benchmark Litigation for my work, and I look forward to contributing to the future success of Sanford Heisler Sharp and the firm’s clients.”

Benchmark Litigation, the definitive guide to the world’s leading litigation firms and lawyers, bases its rankings on interviews with litigators, dispute resolutions specialists, and litigation clients, as well as on an analysis of the market’s most important cases and firm developments.

About Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP

Sanford Heisler Sharp is a public interest and civil rights law firm with offices in New York, Washington, DC, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Atlanta, Baltimore, Nashville, and San Diego. The firm focuses on employment discrimination, Title IX, wage and hour, whistleblower and qui tam, criminal/sexual violence, financial services, and Asian American litigation and finance matters. Our lawyers have recovered over $1 billion for our clients through many verdicts and settlements.

In 2022, The National Law Journal named Sanford Heisler Sharp Civil Rights Firm of the Year, and it recognized the firm in 2021 as both the Employment Rights Firm of the Year and the Human Rights Firm of the Year. Law360 recognized the firm as Employment Practice Group of the Year in 2021, 2019, 2018, and 2016. Benchmark Litigation recognized the firm as the Labor & Employment Firm of the Year in 2021 and 2020.

For the latest news about Sanford Heisler Sharp, visit the firm’s newsroom or follow the firm on FacebookLinkedIn, or Twitter.

If you have potential legal claims and are seeking counsel, please call 646-681-7373 or email david.sanford@sanfordheisler.com. Attorneys at Sanford Heisler Sharp would like to have the opportunity to help you.

For more information, contact Jamie Moss, newsPRos, at 201-788-0142 or Jamie@newspros.com.