Sanford Wittels & Heisler began in January 2004, when David Sanford, Jeremy Heisler, and Steven Wittels decided to found a law firm that would litigate public interest and social justice cases about which they were passionate. David, Jeremy and Steve believe strongly in using the law to help balance the scales and stem the tides of prejudice and corruption. They envisioned a firm that would represent the underpaid employee against the employer unlawfully padding its profit margins, the victims of dangerous products against the corporations seeking to conceal their negligence, or the whistleblower standing up against schemes to defraud the U.S. government and endanger the American people. At the same time, SWH was envisioned as a place where individuals with deserving claims could find a quality of representation that is usually not available to those with limited means.
The impetus for this vision began decades earlier, in the late 1970’s, when David Sanford and Steven Wittels were classmates at Vassar College. There, they formed an enduring friendship and a passion for civil rights and social justice. After Vassar, Steven went to law school at U.C. Berkeley and began practicing law in New York, while David studied and taught philosophy at Williams College. David soon followed Steven’s footsteps to law school and enrolled at Stanford Law School. Jeremy Heisler and Steven met in the mid-1980s when working as associates on consumer class action matters. Soon after graduating from law school, David opened and managed the DC office of an Alabama civil rights firm, but kept in close contact with Steven in New York. When visiting Steven in New York, David was introduced to Jeremy by Steven. The three of them began discussing a practice that would only take on clients and causes they were passionate about. After many conversations, Sanford Wittels & Heisler was formed and their first case was a $20M fraud matter which they successfully resolved.
Since that auspicious beginning, the firm has grown steadily. From a team of three, the firm now has offices in New York, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco, with more than 20 attorneys, a dozen staff, and a vibrant summer associate program. In addition, our attorneys have served as lead counsel in scores of class actions, securing over one hundred million dollars for our clients and bringing about significant change in the policies and procedures at corporations throughout the United States.