Kia Rahnama

Vincent “Vince” McKnight, Jr., is the Managing Partner of Sanford Heisler Sharp’s Washington, D.C., office and Co-Chair of the firm’s Whistleblower Practice. He also represents clients in employment discrimination and wrongful discharge cases. Vince represents whistleblowers in sealed and unsealed False Claims Act/qui tam suits under investigation by the United States and other governmental stakeholders. He has achieved significant success in such cases, including the ...

Seth Waxman is a former federal prosecutor and nationally recognized white collar criminal defense with more than two decades of experience handling high profile sensitive criminal and civil matters. Seth handles a wide array of challenging cases, ranging from the Flint water criminal investigation to complex internal investigations for Fortune 500 companies. Seth is a seasoned trial lawyer, having been lead counsel in more than sixty jury trials, thirty bench trials, and fifteen matters on a...

Sean Howley brings first-hand construction industry experience to his legal practice, having managed and worked on multi-million dollar public works projects in New York City and the surrounding area. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Notre Dame, he worked as a Project Engineer and Project Manager for a heavy construction contractor. He later earned his Juris Doctor from St. John’s University School of Law and has since devoted his practice ...

Joel C. Rush is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Health Care Law. Joel C., who practices law in Washington, District of Columbia, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Joel C. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Kate Mueting is a Partner in the Washington, DC office of Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP, a national law firm with offices in the District of Columbia, New York, California, Tennessee, and Maryland, and a Co-Chair of the firm’s Title VII Practice. She received her J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law and her B.J. from the University of Nebraska. Kate represents employees in a broad range of employment claims, including discrimination on the basis of gender, pregnancy, race, and s...

Sean P. Schmergel has been consistently recognized as one the DMVs top divorce and family law attorneys, including by Washingtonian Magazine, Arlington Magazine, Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers. He co-founded Schmergel & Mersberger, PLC over 20 years ago and has continued to hone his legal practice before the local courts, developing a reputation as a zealous and thoughtful family law advocate. A resident of Northern Virginia for over 30 years, Mr. Schmergel holds a genuine concern for the...

Janis B. Schiff has extensive experience representing property owners, asset managers and investors in connection with the development, redevelopment, sale, acquisition and leasing of retail, residential, condominium, office, mixed-use and hotel properties and venues, and represents clients in all facets of commercial real estate, including foreign investment in the United States, public-private partnerships, government leasing, financial workouts and restructurings, acquisition and sales con...

David E. Murphy practices litigation including employment, business & commercial litigation, post-employment restrictive covenants, personal and business torts, breach of contract, defamation, severance review and analysis, and executive compensation and termination. David represents clients in both state and Federal courts across Virginia and Washington D.C. David has actively litigated matters from the intake stage through appeal and has significant courtroom experience as a trial lawye...

Sarah Moore Johnson is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. Sarah Moore, who practices law in Washington, District of Columbia, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Sarah Moore is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

David Brown is co-chair of the firm’s corporate practice area, which includes its corporate, energy, finance, health care, real estate and public policy groups, and a partner in the Financial Services & Products Group, which he previously led. His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, securities disclosure, and payment system and other technology transactions, with an emphasis on the financial services, technology and telecommunications industries. Davi...