Posted January 6th, 2016.

Sanford Heisler Kimpel, LLP, the nation’s leading national public interest litigation law firm, has promoted three attorneys, including one attorney to partner and two to senior litigation counsel.  The Firm has also added six associates.

The Firm has promoted Kate Mueting to Partner in its Washington, DC office.  Ms. Mueting graduated with highest distinction in 2007 from the University of Iowa College of Law, where she served as Senior Articles Editor of the Iowa Law Review. Ms. Mueting represents employees with a wide range of employment claims, including discrimination on the basis of gender, pregnancy, race, and disability and other civil rights claims. Ms. Mueting represents professionals at the highest levels in their fields, including law firm partners and corporate executives, in both public litigation and privately negotiated settlements. Mueting is currently class counsel in a class action brought on behalf of women at KPMG who suffered pay and promotion discrimination at the big four accounting firm.

Ms. Mueting has been recognized as a “Super Lawyers Rising Star.”  She is actively involved in the DC Women’s Bar Association, where she serves as a Co-Chair of the Employment Law Forum.  Ms. Mueting also routinely publishes interviews with leading women in law and business in Shattering the Ceiling.com, which is a popular blog about women and workplace equality. She regularly lectures on issues confronting women and work before bar associations and the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Before joining Sanford Heisler Kimpel, Ms. Mueting worked as an associate at Covington & Burling, LLP.  As part of Covington’s Pro Bono Rotation program, she served as lead counsel at DC’s Children’s Law Center in several trials representing clients seeking to care for neglected children.  She also clerked for the Honorable Michael J. Melloy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and the Honorable Richard J. Leon on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.  Before law school, Ms. Mueting served as a Team Leader for AmeriCorps*National Civilian Community Corps and graduated from the University of Nebraska with a Bachelor of Journalism degree.

David Sanford, Chairman of Sanford Heisler Kimpel, said, “Kate Mueting has extensive experience prosecuting cases on behalf of women and people of color who suffer discrimination in their workplaces.  Kate has also established herself as a stellar and successful advocate for female attorneys and high-level professionals who are treated unfairly by law firms and corporations.  We are delighted to have her join our partner ranks.”

Sanford Heisler Kimpel Promotes Two Associates to Senior Litigation Counsel

Alexandra Harwin has been promoted to Senior Litigation Counsel in the New York office.   Ms. Harwin received her law degree from the Yale Law School and her bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, from Harvard, where she was the highest-ranked student in her graduating class.  She represents employees in individual and class actions involving gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, national origin and disability discrimination and retaliation claims.  Among her current cases, Ms. Harwin serves as class counsel in a class and collective action alleging that a large pharmaceutical company discriminated against its female employees – namely, directors, managers, specialists, and sales force professionals – in pay, promotion, and assignments.  In Miller v. Zara USA, Inc. et al., she represents Zara’s former general counsel in his claims that the Spanish fashion giant discriminated against him because he is Jewish, gay, and American.  In Silva v. Giorgio Armani Corporation et al., Ms. Harwin represents Giorgio Armani’s former general counsel in his claims that the Italian fashion house discriminated against him because of his Mexican nationality and because he was battling cancer.  At Harvard, Ms. Harwin studied gender-based employment discrimination through the disciplines of history and economics, and her honors thesis explored how feminists addressed the subject of women’s unpaid housework.  At the Yale Law School, Ms. Harwin served as Managing Editor of the Yale Journal of Law and Feminism and helped design Yale Law Women’s annual survey of family-friendly law firms.  In addition to her legal practice, she enjoys writing for popular audiences about legal issues. Ms. Harwin’s writings have been featured in the New York Times and Slate.

Russell Kornblith has been promoted to Senior Litigation Counsel in the New York office.  Mr. Kornblith received his law degree cum laude from the Harvard Law School and his bachelor’s degree magna cum laude from Amherst College. Mr. Kornblith represents employees in wage and hour, employment discrimination and qui tam/whistleblower matters.  He is class counsel in a nationwide gender discrimination case against Merck and counsel for whistleblowers Dr. Antoni Nargol and Dr. David Langton in their False Claims Act action against medical device manufacturer DePuy Orthopaedics.  Before joining Sanford Heisler Kimpel, Mr. Kornblith clerked for the Honorable Ronald Lee Gilman of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and for the Honorable James S. Gwin of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.  While at Harvard Law School, Mr. Kornblith represented legal historians before the U.S. Supreme Court as part of Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic.  He also worked with the clinic to document human rights abuses in Myanmar.  In addition to clinical work, Mr. Kornblith served as a research assistant to Professor I. Glenn Cohen and on the board of the American Constitution Society’s Harvard Law School Chapter.  He was also an Articles Editor for the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review.  Prior to law school, Mr. Kornblith worked as a researcher for the New Hampshire Democratic Party on behalf of U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen.

Sanford Heisler Kimpel Also Adds Six Associates

In February of 2016, Felicia Gilbert will be joining the Washington, DC office’s employment discrimination and wage and hour practice.  Ms. Gilbert is a 2010 graduate of Columbia Law School.  She previously worked as an associate at Morrison Foerster, where she was a member of the trial team named 2013 “Attorneys of the Year” in civil rights law by California Lawyer Magazine.  While at Columbia Law School, Ms. Gilbert was a semi-finalist of the Columbia Law School Harlan Fiske Stone Moot Court Competition; served on the Journal of Law and Social Problems; worked at the Columbia Law School Child Advocacy Clinic; and worked at the Legal Aid Society, Criminal Appeals Bureau.  Before law school, Ms. Gilbert attended Stanford University, obtaining an M.A. in sociology and a B.A. in political science.  She was a USA Rugby First Team All-American.

In January of 2016, Inayat Hemani became an associate in the New York office’s qui tam/whistleblower practice.  He is a 2012 graduate of New York University School of Law.  He previously worked with the Taxpayer Protection Bureau of the New York State Office of the Attorney General where he investigated and prosecuted New York State False Claims Act cases involving procurement fraud and tax fraud.  Mr. Hemani also served as a Litigation Fellow with Sanford Heisler Kimpel, LLP.  While in law school, Mr. Hemani represented Iraqi refugees seeking to appeal adverse decisions in their asylum applications and helped conduct a fact-finding trip on the conditions of Iraqi refugees in Syria as co-chair of the Iraqi Refugees Assistance Project. He also participated in NYU’s Civil Litigation Clinic with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.  Before law school, Mr. Hemani graduated from George Washington University.

In the fall of 2015, Melinda Koster became an associate in the New York office.  She is a 2012 graduate of the Stanford Law School, where she was Notes Editor for the Stanford Law Review and was the recipient of the Gerald Gunther Prize for Outstanding Performance in Employment Law.  Prior to joining the Firm, Ms. Koster clerked for the Honorable Julio M. Fuentes of the Unites States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and for the Honorable Esther Salas of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.  She also served as a Law Fellow at Phillips & Cohen, where she worked primarily on qui tam and SEC whistleblower cases.  While in law school, Ms. Koster participated in Stanford’s Immigrants’ Rights Clinic and the Criminal Defense Clinic.  Before law school, Ms. Koster graduated summa cum laude from Pomona College.

In the fall of 2015, Danielle Fuschetti became an associate in the San Francisco office.  She is a 2013 graduate of the University of Michigan School of Law, where she was an Article Editor for the Michigan Journal of Gender and Law and an editor of the Michigan Journal of Environmental and Administrative Law.  Ms. Fuschetti previously worked at a top national defense firm in San Francisco.  During and before her time at University of Michigan School of Law, she interned with legal aid organizations in Maine and New Hampshire providing direct legal assistance to indigent clients.  She also clerked for the EEOC Office of General Counsel, Appeals Division, and externed at the Center for WorkLife Law, where she coauthored a law review article on pregnancy accommodations in the wake of the ADA Amendments Act. Ms. Fuschetti graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College.

In the fall of 2015, David Tracey became an associate in the New York office.  He is a 2013 graduate of the New York University School of Law, where he was awarded membership in the Order of the Coif.  Before joining the Firm, Mr. Tracey clerked for the Honorable Garland E. Burrell, Jr. of the United States District Court, Eastern District of California.  He has frequently volunteered at legal services organizations in New York City.  Prior to his career in the law, Mr. Tracey was a community organizer at the Harlem Children’s Zone, Inc, where he worked on tenants’ rights, environmental health and gun control.  Before law school, Mr. Tracey graduated magna cum laude from Yale University.

In the fall of 2015, Sara Tonnesen became an associate in the Washington, DC office.  She is a 2013 graduate of the Georgetown Law Center, where she was editor of the Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy.  Before joining the Firm, Ms. Tonnesen worked at the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia in the Public Interest Division.  She also worked at the ACLU of Maryland, where she focused on juvenile justice issues.   While in law school, Ms. Tonnesen participated in the Georgetown Law Community Justice Clinic, after which she was awarded the International Academy of Trial Lawyers 2013 Student Advocacy Award.  Before law school, Ms. Tonnesen graduated magna cum laude from Mount Holyoke College.

Jeremy Heisler, managing partner of the New York office, said: “Ms. Harwin, Mr. Kornblith, Mr. Hemani, Mr. Tracey and Ms. Koster are extraordinary attorneys and the New York City office is privileged to hire and promote them in recognition of their great talent.”

Katherine Kimpel, managing partner of the Washington, DC office, said: “Kate Mueting has proven herself to be one of the most skilled and dedicated attorneys in the country litigating on behalf of employees.  Kate is everything we look for in a partner, both as a lawyer and as a person.  We are also excited to have Sara Tonnesen and Felicia Gilbert join us in DC  Sara has done great work in the public interest arena and is an invaluable part of our team here.  Felicia, who was a legal assistant with our law firm before law school, has amassed an impressive litigation background, and we are thrilled to welcome her back.”

Felicia Medina, managing partner of the San Francisco office, said: “We are thrilled to have Danielle Fuschetti join our San Francisco office.  She has had great training with a top national defense firm; civil rights litigants around the country are now the beneficiaries of that training.”

About Sanford Heisler Kimpel, LLP

Sanford Heisler Kimpel, LLP is a public interest class-action litigation law firm with offices in New York, Washington, DC, San Francisco, and San Diego.  Our attorneys have graduated from the nation’s top law schools, clerked for judges throughout the United States, and amassed extensive experience litigating cases that have earned over one billion dollars for our clients.  The Firm specializes in civil rights and general public interest cases, representing plaintiffs with employment discrimination, labor and wage violations, predatory lending, whistleblower, consumer fraud, and other claims. Along with a focus on class actions, Sanford Heisler Kimpel also represents individuals and has achieved particular success in the representation of executives in employment disputes.

For more information, contact Jamie Moss, newsPRos, 646-791-4848, [email protected]