DC Partners

David Sanford, Sanford Heisler Sharp’s Chairman, has recovered more than one billion dollars for individual clients and the United States government since 2004. He has served as lead counsel in more than 50 class actions and numerous qui tam fraud cases around the country. David has also represented over 100 general counsel, in-house counsel, and lawyers in claims against their law firms and companies. Notably, David served as lead counsel in a gender discrimination class action against Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation that resulted in a $253 million verdict—the largest Title VII verdict in U.S. history.

The Washington, DC office is managed by H. Vincent McKnight, Jr., Co-Chair of the firm’s Whistleblower & Qui Tam Practice Group. Mr. McKnight represents clients in employment discrimination and wrongful discharge cases as well as whistleblowers in sealed and unsealed False Claims Act/qui tam suits under investigation by the United States and other governmental stakeholders. He is renowned for arguing and winning a case in which the DC Court of Appeals first departed from the employment-at-will doctrine—the assumption that employment is for an indefinite amount of time and may be terminated at any time—in the District of Columbia.

Partner and Discrimination and Harassment Practice Group Co-Chair Deborah Marcuse represents employees in individual and class actions in a wide range of employment disputes, including suits alleging unlawful terminations, unlawful denials of promotions, unequal pay, wage and hour violations, and hostile work environments related to race, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, pregnancy, and disability. She has negotiated and secured significant monetary awards for clients with discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims in the legal, pharmaceutical, financial, manufacturing and commercial real estate sectors, including corporate executives.

Partner and Discrimination and Harassment Practice Group Co-Chair Kate Mueting represents professionals at the highest levels in their fields, including Big Law partners and corporate executives. She has advised C-Suite executives in the pharmaceutical, technology, consulting, media, and communications industries against their Fortune 500 employers and has recovered tens of millions of dollars on behalf of her clients. Ms. Mueting currently serves as lead counsel in the hard-fought Donna Kassman, et. al. v. KPMG LLP, which seeks to remedy that firm’s systemic discrimination in pay and promotion, discrimination based on pregnancy, and chronic failure to properly investigate and resolve complaints of discrimination and harassment.

Partner and Discrimination and Harassment Practice Group Co-Chair Saba Bireda represents employees in individual and class actions involving race, gender, and pregnancy discrimination. She has written and spoken on a variety of topics related to civil rights and education. In May 2016, she was appointed by Mayor Muriel Bowser to serve a three-year term on the District of Columbia Public Charter School Board.

Partner and Criminal/Sexual Violence Practice Group Co-Chair Christine Dunn’s practice involves a range of matters, including criminal/sexual violence cases, whistleblower/qui tam matters, and employment discrimination actions. During her time at the Department of Justice, Ms. Dunn conducted extensive grand jury investigations and jury trials throughout the United States and prosecuted federal civil rights crimes involving official and police misconduct, racially motivated violence, and human trafficking, including sex trafficking.

Partner and Criminal/Sexual Violence Practice Group Co-Chair Steve Kelly represents plaintiffs, especially those from traditionally marginalized groups, who seek justice as victims of violence. He is one of a handful of lawyers in the country capable of fighting for a victim’s rights in both criminal and civil cases. Mr. Kelly has a lifelong commitment to improving the plight of crime victims and their families. He became a victim advocate at age 14, shortly after his older sister was sexually assaulted and murdered. His advocacy since then truly distinguishes him. In addition to representing crime victims, he has lobbied victims’ rights legislation before state legislatures and the U.S. Congress as well as provided training to victim advocates, prosecutors, and judges throughout the country. Mr. Kelly and the attorneys part of Sanford Heisler Sharp’s Criminal/Sexual Violence Practice Group are committed to giving crime victims a voice in court and our communities.

Partner and Whistleblower & Qui Tam Practice Group Co-Chair John McKnight is experienced in the representation of clients in qui tam lawsuits under the False Claims Act and works on sealed and unsealed qui tam whistleblower cases involving fraud against the federal and state governments.

Partner and Public Interest Practice Group Co-Chair Andrew Miller co-manages the firm’s opioid litigation, in which the firm represents dozens of counties and cities across the nation in their claims against some of the largest companies in the pharmaceutical industry. Mr. Miller also represents whistleblowers under the False Claims Act and the SEC whistleblower program, employees who have suffered discrimination or other mistreatment on the job, and survivors and family members of those who have been harmed by serious crimes.

DC Senior Attorneys

Thomas Henderson has more than thirty-five years of experience litigating individual and class action cases related to employment, housing, consumers, environmental law, education policy, and voting cases. He has briefed and argued appeals throughout the United States, including at the U.S. Supreme Court.