NEW YORK, March 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, a nationally recognized employment, civil rights and social justice plaintiff side law firm, has been named Labor & Employment Firm of the Year at the Benchmark Litigation U.S. Awards for the second consecutive year, underscoring the firm’s continued leadership in high-impact employment litigation and advocacy on behalf of employees, whistleblowers, and other individuals.
The Benchmark Litigation U.S. Awards recognize the country’s most distinguished litigators and law firms for their outstanding work over the past year. Winners were announced at the annual awards gala held March 11 in New York City. The other law firms in the Labor & Employment Firm of the Year category were Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Harris St. Laurent & Wechsler, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein and Proskauer.
“Winning this award for the second year in a row is a tremendous honor and a testament to the dedication of our lawyers and staff in our six offices throughout the United States,” said David Sanford, Chairman and Co-Founder of Sanford Heisler. “Since our founding, our mission has been to represent individuals who are willing to stand up against powerful institutions and seek justice. We are proud of the work our team does every day to hold employers accountable, support whistleblowers, and advance fairness and equality in the workplace.”
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight is dedicated to litigating public interest and social justice cases that make a meaningful difference in society. Over the past two decades, the firm has built a reputation for representing individuals and groups in complex litigation involving employment discrimination, whistleblower claims, civil rights matters, retirement plan mismanagement under ERISA, and other high-stakes cases.
The firm has recovered more than $5 billion for clients and has secured landmark results against major corporations, law firms, universities, and government entities. In recent years, Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight has continued to expand its leadership bench, with former Chief Judge Kevin Sharp of the U.S. District Court of the Middle District of Tennessee joining as a named partner in 2017 and H. Vincent McKnight Jr., Co-Chair of the firm’s Whistleblower and Qui Tam Practice Group, becoming a named partner in 2024. In 2025, Charles Field, Co-Chair of the firm’s Financial Mismanagement & ERISA Litigation Practice joined the Executive Committee.
The firm also represents employees and executives in employment disputes ranging from wrongful termination and retaliation to discrimination, harassment, and wage-and-hour violations.
In addition to its employment and whistleblower work, the firm maintains an active practice representing military sexual assault survivors in civil actions against branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, seeking to hold the military accountable for failures to prevent and address sexual harassment and assault.
Sanford Heisler also has an Asian American Litigation & Finance practice, the only practice in the country dedicated to helping the Asian-American community navigate the U.S. legal system and protecting the rights of those disadvantaged groups who face cultural challenges and language barriers
Russell Kornblith, the firm’s General Counsel and finalist for Labor & Employment Litigator of the Year, had a standout 2025 including obtaining a $7.4 million award in a disability discrimination case on behalf of Dr. Emma Adams in her Fair Housing Act claims against her homeowner association. He currently represents Joseph Berkowitz in a wrongful termination and retaliation lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Munchkin Brands which manufactures and sells popular products for babies, toddlers, and parents where he recently won on a motion to dismiss. This past year he also settled a retaliation and discrimination case on behalf of the Chief People Office of Swiftly Systems, Inc.
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight has offices in New York, Washington, D.C., Palo Alto, San Francisco, San Diego, and Nashville.
About Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight is a public interest and civil rights law firm with offices in New York, Washington, DC, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Nashville, and San Diego. The firm focuses on executive representation, wrongful termination, employment discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, wage theft and overtime violations, whistleblower and qui tam, sexual violence, Title IX violations and victims’ rights, financial mismanagement and ERISA litigation, and Asian American litigation and finance matters. Our lawyers have recovered over $5 billion for our clients through many verdicts and settlements.
In 2024, Forbes named Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight Chairman and Co-Founder David Sanford to its inaugural list of America’s Top 200 Lawyers. The National Law Journal has selected Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight as Civil Rights Firm of the Year, and it has recognized the firm as both Employment Rights Firm of the Year and Human Rights Firm of the Year and Law360 has recognized the firm as Employment Practice Group of the Year.
For the latest news about Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, visit the firm’s newsroom or follow the firm on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter.
If you have potential legal claims and are seeking counsel, please call 646-768-7070 or email david.sanford@sanfordheisler.com. Attorneys at Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight would like to have the opportunity to help you.
Media Contact: Jamie Moss, newsPRos, at 201-788-0142 or Jamie@newspros.com.
