
Felicia Gilbert
Palo Alto and San Francisco Partner
Phone: 650-547-5993
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/felicia-gilbert/
– Tiffany B.
– Former Client
– A University Director
– Former Client
– A Director
– Former Client
Felicia Gilbert is Partner of Sanford Heisler Sharp's Palo Alto and San Francisco Offices and Chair of the firm’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.
Since joining Sanford Heisler Sharp, Felicia has been recognized as a Benchmark Litigation Labor & Employment Star. The Profiles in Diversity Journal also recognized her among its Women Worth Watching in Leadership. Felicia was recently named a Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Employment & Civil Rights Lawyer and recognized on the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyers list. She has also been profiled in Bloomberg Law’s “Leading Questions” column.
Felicia has built a successful employment practice representing individuals and classes in discrimination, harassment, and retaliation matters, where she manages each case from the ground up and strives tirelessly to maximize the attainment of her clients’ desired outcomes. Felicia’s representations have included:
- Litigating on behalf of three former African American employees in their claims of race discrimination, hostile work environment, retaliation, and wrongful termination against Kraft Heinz Foods Company
- Litigating on behalf of a former employee in her claims of gender discrimination and constructive discharge against Honeywell International
- Litigating on behalf of a class of African American deputy U.S. Marshals and candidates for deputy U.S. Marshal positions in their hiring, promotions, and headquarters assignments claims against the U.S. Marshals Service
- Co-authoring a Supreme Court amicus brief on behalf of members of Congress in Bank of America/Wells Fargo v. City of Miami
- Negotiating a confidential high six-figure exit package for a female senior director with gender discrimination and retaliation claims against a pharmaceutical company
- Negotiating a confidential high six-figure settlement for a former female employee with pregnancy discrimination and wage and hour claims against a venture capital firm
- Negotiating a confidential six-figure settlement for a former female employee with gender discrimination and retaliation claims against a technology company
- Negotiating a confidential six-figure exit package for a female tax professional with gender and age discrimination, and retaliation claims against an accounting firm
- Negotiating a confidential six-figure exit package for a pharmaceutical company executive with retaliation, whistleblower, and constructive discharge claims
- Negotiating a confidential six-figure exit package for a university executive, including conversion of termination to resignation, with gender discrimination and retaliation claims
- Negotiating a confidential six-figure exit package for a medical equipment sales representative with gender discrimination and sexual harassment claims against a diagnostics company
Felicia received her law degree from Columbia Law School, and Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University. While at Columbia Law School, Felicia served on the Journal of Law and Social Problems and as a Teaching Fellow on the Columbia Law School Moot Court Editorial Board. As part of Columbia Law School’s Child Advocacy Clinic, she helped design a research protocol for adolescent representation and provided legal assistance to young adults transitioning out of foster care. She also interned with the Criminal Appeals Bureau of the Legal Aid Society.
Felicia is a member of the California and New York bars. Felicia has spoken on a variety of topics related to civil rights and employment law and has been an instructor for the Impact Fund’s Class Action Training Institute. Felicia serves on the Board of Legal Aid at Work and is a member of the board’s Executive Committee and Recruitment, Nominating & Engagement Committee. She is a member of the Bar Association of San Francisco, the Charles Houston Bar Association, and the Black Women Lawyers Association of Northern California.
Before joining Sanford Heisler Sharp, Felicia was an Associate at Morrison & Foerster, LLP, where her practice involved a variety of complex commercial litigation matters in both federal and state courts. Felicia was a member of the trial team named 2013 “Attorneys of the Year” in civil rights law by California Lawyer Magazine after representing the family of an unarmed man shot fatally by a police officer in a Section 1983 federal civil rights lawsuit against a California municipality.
When Felicia is not working, she enjoys trying new recipes, spending time with her family, and going on walks with her Rottweiler, Jax.
Education
- J.D., Columbia Law School
- M.A., Stanford University
- B.A., Stanford University
Clinics
- Columbia Law School Child Advocacy Clinic
Bar Admissions
- California, 2011
- New York, 2015
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
- The 2023 Lawdragon 500 Leading Civil Rights & Plaintiff Employment Lawyers
- 2021 Benchmark Litigation Labor & Employment Star – West in the practice area of Labor & Employment
- 2022 Latino Leaders Worth Watching
- 2021-22 Lawdragon 500 Plaintiff Employment Lawyer
- 2020 Benchmark Litigation Labor & Employment Star – West in the practice area of Labor & Employment
Thank you for all of your hard work and diligence on my case.
“I am so grateful to have found SHS’s professional, compassionate and empathetic lawyers. Thank you for all of your hard work and diligence on my case. I will be forever grateful!”
– Tiffany B.
Professional
“I built my professional reputation on putting company interests first, so I was blindsided when my company threatened to terminate me in a visible and unfair fashion. I was terrified to take legal action, but I’m so glad I did. Conor, Felicia, Xandra, Miriam, and David protected my role and reputation, secured a financial settlement >10x the company’s original offer, and, most importantly, gave me the strength and courage to stand up for myself. Their professionalism, candor, and warmth kept me sane through one of the darkest times in my life, and I can’t imagine going through that without them.”
– Former Client
Peace of mind.
“I was devastated when an offer for my dream job was rescinded based on the biased opinion of a former supervisor who retaliated against me. My industry is small, and so, in addition to my deep sadness, I also felt extreme anxiety over how this retaliatory animus would continue to haunt my career. Because of Kate, Felicia, Conor, and their team, I not only reached an amicable financial settlement but I also found peace of mind knowing that this person could no longer discriminate against me. I also earned the satisfaction of holding a major company accountable for condoning retaliatory behavior. I cannot thank Sanford Heisler Sharp enough for supporting me wholeheartedly and giving me solid ground to stand on again.”
– A Director
Demonstrated genuine concern
“Being wrongfully dismissed after 25 years of meritorious service to the same institution was a dramatic and emotionally draining experience. Kate, Felicia, and their team’s attention to detail combined with their extensive knowledge of the legal process enabled me to reach an amicable settlement. They also demonstrated genuine concern for me as a person with every conversation and throughout the entire process. I feel very fortunate to have worked with them.”
– University Director
I can’t thank them enough.
“Balancing a career you love and early motherhood can feel impossible. When my employer demoted me because I’d asked for a place to pump breast milk, I felt despondent. A friend recommended that I contact the team at Sanford Heisler Sharp. I wish I had called them earlier. Kate Mueting, Felicia Gilbert, and Lindsay (Funk) listened to me, were respectful towards me, and assured me that my experience was objectively not okay (and not just an illusion of my hysterical lady-brain, as my employer insisted.) They got me the financial relief necessary to make a fresh start in my career. I can’t thank them enough.”
– Former Client
Kraft Heinz Lawsuit
Attorneys at Sanford Heisler Sharp, filed a $30 million civil action in the Eastern District of California against Kraft Heinz Foods Company on behalf of former employees Alex Horn, Lance Aytman, and Keith Hooker.
- 4th Circ. ‘Good Fit’ Ruling Belies Risk Of Hazy Firing Rationale, Law360, April 20, 2023
- A grand strategic plan to grow and develop the Palo Alto office, Law360 Employment Authority, September 27, 2022
- Tech Employers Targeted as Plaintiffs Lawyers Hit Silicon Valley, Bloomberg Law, Sept. 28, 2022
- Sanford Heisler Sharp Launches Silicon Valley Office, LAW.COM, September 27, 2022
- California Workers Accuse Kraft Heinz of Racism, File $30 Million Suit, Newsweek, August 19, 2021
- Ex-Kraft Heinz Workers Claim ‘Rampant Racism’ In $30M Suit, Law360 Employment Authority, August 19, 2021
- $30 Million Race Discrimination Suit Filed Against Kraft Heinz By Sanford Heisler Sharp On Behalf Of Former Employees, SAN FRANCISCO, CA, August 19, 2021
- Four Sanford Heisler Sharp Women Partners Selected To The National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyers Membership, Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP, May 11, 2021
- Benchmark Litigation Reviews – Sanford Heisler Sharp, Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP, October 15th, 2020
- Leading Questions: Sanford Heisler’s Gilbert Gets Creative, Bloomberg Law, July 17, 2020
- Law360 Names Attys Who Moved Up The Firm Ranks In Q1, Law360, April 28, 2020
- Sanford Heisler Sharp Promotes Felicia Gilbert to San Francisco Managing Partner, Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP, January 8th, 2020