Posted April 9th, 2019.
New Partner Will Co-Chair Firm’s Financial Services Litigation Practice, Provide Strategic Counsel Across the Firm
WASHINGTON, DC April 9, 2019 – Sanford Heisler Sharp today announced that Paul Blankenstein has joined the firm as a partner in its Washington, DC office. Blankenstein will Co-Chair the firm’s Financial Services Litigation Practice. Prior to joining Sanford Heisler Sharp, Blankenstein was Of Counsel at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, where he had practiced for the past 34 years.
“Paul has decades of experience on the defense side of complex litigation,” said David Sanford, Chairman of Sanford Heisler Sharp. “His trial and litigation experience will enhance our firm’s capability in many ongoing complex matters currently heading to trial.”
Blankenstein has litigated important matters as the chief appellate lawyer in the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, and handled significant cases involving financial institutions and employee benefits in his private practice, with a special focus on ERISA cases.
“After spending three decades in private practice on the defense side, I am looking forward to being on the other side of the ‘v.’, and have much to contribute to plaintiffs’ pursuit of justice,” said Blankestein. “Sanford Heisler Sharp has a stellar reputation and record of success. I am pleased to become a part of a firm working nationwide to protect and advance employee rights and seeking justice for victims of financial abuse.”
A 1973 graduate of Brooklyn Law School, Blankenstein joined the U.S. Department of Justice after graduation, serving as a staff attorney in its Appellate Section, Assistant Branch Director of the Federal Programs Branch, and Appellate Litigation Counsel in the Civil Division until 1985.
Mr. Blankenstein has been ranked by Chambers USA from 2010 through 2017 as one of the country’s top ERISA litigators. He has also been recognized by Best Lawyers in America® as one of the best ERISA litigation lawyers in the country and in 2016 was named by Best Lawyers at “ERISA Litigator of the Year” for DC area.
As a private practitioner, he was associated with many high-profile matters, including serving as lead attorney for Merrill Lynch in the In re WorldCom, Inc., Securities Litigation. Blankenstein secured a precedent-setting win in connection with Merrill Lynch’s 401(k) plan.
Blankenstein will share leadership of Sanford Heisler Sharp Financial Services Litigation with San Diego partner Charles Field and Washington, DC, Of Counsel Grant Morris.
About Sanford Heisler Sharp
Sanford Heisler Sharp is a public interest class-action litigation law firm with offices in New York; Washington, D.C; Nashville; 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 and trying 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 claims of employment discrimination, sexual violence, labor and wage violations, predatory lending, consumer fraud, and whistleblowing, among other claims. Along with a focus on class actions, the firm also represents individuals and has achieved extraordinary success in the representation of executives and attorneys in employment disputes.
For more information visit www.sanfordheisler.com or call 646-791-4848 or email [email protected]. For the latest news, visit our newsroom or follow us on Twitter at @sanfordheisler.
For more information, contact Jamie Moss, newsPRos,201-493-1027, [email protected]