Sanford Heisler Kimpel Opens Fourth Office In U.S.

SAN DIEGO, June 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Sanford Heisler Kimpel LLP, the nation's premier public interest employment and whistleblower litigation law firm, today announced the opening of a new office in San Diego and the addition of Edward D. "Ed" Chapin as its Managing Partner and Charles H. Field as Of Counsel.  The firm's fourth office will be located at 501 W. Broadway, Suite 515, in downtown San Diego.

San Diego is Sanford Heisler Kimpel's second office in California, and fourth office in the U.S., joining San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and New York as a base for the firm's nationwide focus on civil rights and general public interest cases, including employment discrimination, labor and wage violations, predatory lending, whistleblower and consumer fraud and financial services abuse.

Ed Chapin:  San Diego Managing Partner

"Ed is the perfect‎ trial lawyer and caring humanitarian to open and lead our San Diego office," said David Sanford, Chairman of Sanford Heisler Kimpel. "He has all the essential qualities we look for and that make him such a great lawyer: tenacity in every case he handles; passion for social justice; care and concern for his clients; a sensitive mentor to young attorneys; and consummate skill in the courtroom. We could not be more excited to have Ed join the ranks of our partners."

Chapin is a veteran civil trial lawyer whose practice spans class actions, unfair business practices, professional negligence, insurance coverage and bad faith, toxic torts, serious personal injury and wrongful death.  He has been a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) since 1988, an invitation-only organization open only to the most experienced and highly regarded trial lawyers in the country.  Chapin was awarded the Daniel T. Broderick III Award by ABOTA and five San Diego County bar associations in 2001 for "epitomizing the highest standards of civility, integrity and professionalism."   

Chapin also earned the Missouri State University Outstanding Alumni Award in 2007. He has been named one of the Best Lawyers in America since 1989, and a San Diego Super Lawyer since 2007. Chapin served as Co-Chair of the San Diego County Bar Association's Civility, Integrity and Professionalism project, in 2008; President, California Chapters of American Board of Trial Advocates in 1993; and President, San Diego Chapter of American Board of Trial Advocates in 1992. He graduated from the University of Missouri Law School in 1972.

After earning his undergraduate degree from Missouri State in 1964, Chapin was commissioned as a U.S. Army infantry second lieutenant and entered active duty. He served two and one-half years in Germany and following his promotion to captain spent one year in Vietnam, where he earned the Bronze Star for valor in combat.

"I am delighted to join Sanford Heisler Kimpel, a national firm with a public interest litigation record I greatly admire," said Chapin. "I am looking forward to the opportunity to pursue social justice issues at a firm with a proven record of success.  I know these attorneys, and have successfully collaborated with them in the past.  Sanford Heisler Kimpel regularly tackles some of the nation's largest corporations on behalf of plaintiffs who have been discriminated against or denied compensation to which they are entitled, and the firm has a great reputation for representing corporate whistleblowers. No other firm has a stronger national presence and plaintiffs' practice of this type. This is a great opportunity for me."

Charles Field:  Chair of Financial Services Litigation

Charles Field is also an experienced attorney, with more than 28 years of practice focused on commercial transactions and regulation, along with a deep knowledge of laws governing investment advisers, broker-dealers, and commodity trading advisors.  He is now the Chair of Sanford Heisler Kimpel's new Financial Services Litigation practice representing plaintiffs in individual and class action litigation involving financial services abuse nationwide. Field will also play a lead role in the firm's representation of whistleblowers in actions brought under The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act ("Dodd-Frank"); the IRS Whistleblower Law; the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act ("Sarbanes-Oxley"); the Commodities and Futures Trading Commission Whistleblower Program ("§748"); and the Financial Institute Reform Recovery and Enforcement Act (FIRREA) to recover funds defrauded from the Government by corporate defendants.

"Charles is one of a handful of lawyers in America who truly understands transactional, compliance, regulatory and employment matters at the highest level," said Sanford. "He served for over a decade as General Counsel of Allianz Global Investors Capital. He has served as counsel to senior executives, investment managers, and broker dealers. Having played the role of watchdog to ensure that his business clients did not cross the line into unlawful practices, he is perfectly positioned to lead the firm's Financial Services Litigation practice, bringing cases involving ERISA, mismanagement of 4‎01K plans, financial elder abuse and securities law. We are delighted to have Charles join our firm and head up our national litigation practice, helping us expand our vision of public interest lawyering to tackle financial abuse across industries."

"There is a significant need for greater equity in the investment field, where abuses are becoming increasingly evident and egregious," said Field. "Sanford Heisler Kimpel has an exemplary record of fighting social injustices across a broad range of industries, including those where investors are left holding the short end of the stick. My primary interest is in putting an end to the abuse of investors by various players in the financial services industry.  That interest is a great fit with the firm's mission to protect people victimized by well-resourced and powerful corporations."

Field is a member of the San Diego, California and Indiana Bar Associations, and is a former member of the Board of Directors of the National Society of Compliance Professionals. He is a frequent speaker to business, professional and service groups on a variety of securities law and regulatory topics.

Jill Sullivan Sanford:  Of Counsel in San Diego

Chapin and Field will be joined in Sanford Heisler Kimpel's San Diego office by Of Counsel Jill Sullivan Sanford, Chapin's former partner at Chapin Fitzgerald Sullivan LLP.  A 1996 graduate of Harvard Law School, she has tried cases involving gender discrimination, sexual harassment, contracts and business fraud.  Jill Sullivan Sanford was recognized by Los Angeles Magazine as one of the "Top Women Lawyers in Southern California" in 2014, as a San Diego Super Lawyer from 2011-2015,  and a Best Lawyer in America for Employment Law in 2013 and 2015.  Sanford was also named one of the "Top Attorneys in San Diego" for corporate litigation in 2010. 

Ed Chapin said, "I am thrilled to be reunited with Jill.  She is a supremely accomplished trial attorney and strategist, and a superb writer and oral advocate." 

About Sanford Heisler Kimpel LLP

Sanford Heisler Kimpel LLP is a public interest class-action litigation law firm with offices in New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco and San Diego. It specializes in civil rights and general public interest cases, and representing plaintiffs with whistleblower, employment discrimination, labor and wage violations, predatory lending, consumer fraud, financial abuse, and other claims. For more information go to http://www.sanfordheisler.com/

Sanford Heisler Kimpel secured the largest jury award in U.S. history in an employment discrimination case, winning more than $250 million dollars for 7,000 female employees at Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.

For more information, contact Jamie Moss, newsPRos, 201-493-1027, [email protected]

SOURCE Sanford Heisler Kimpel, LLP

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