Meghan E. Heesch - Palo Alto, CA

Meghan Heesch is a San Diego Managing Partner and Co-Chair of the firm’s Trial Practice Group.

Meghan brings a wealth of trial experience to the Firm, having most recently served as an Immigration Judge within the U.S. Department of Justice and presiding over hundreds of contested bench trials. As an Immigration Judge, Meghan developed a strong reputation for fairness and effectiveness. Her rulings involved making findings regarding horrific human rights violations around the world and abuses on account of sexual orientation, race, gender, and religion. Meghan listened attentively with empathy and asked probing questions to focus on the heart of the issue. At Sanford Heisler, Meghan delivers compassion and attentiveness to her clients who survive traumatic and seismic events in their workplaces.

Meghan led complex international investigation teams in dozens of high-profile matters as an Assistant U.S. Attorney with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of California. Meghan was the lead attorney on “Operation Trojan Shield,” an international investigation led by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the Federal Burau of Investigation (FBI), and the Australian Federal Police. The operation resulted in one of the largest global arrest and seizure operations, with more than 1,000 arrests to date. Meghan negotiated with prosecutors and agents around the world, as well as senior DOJ leadership, to further the case team’s goals to disrupt transnational organized crime. Meghan thinks outside of the box in her approach to resolving cases. Her prior cases involved many “firsts,” such as the first Title III Wiretap of Snapchat with the Drug Enforcement Administration. Meghan fearlessly and relentlessly pursues her client’s objectives, including all the way to trial where she has strong first chair trial experience. She earned two Trial Attorney of the Month awards at the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the 2022 FBI International Operations case award.

Meghan’s matters at Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight include:

• ERISA Class Action suits on behalf of employees whose employers imprudently maintained underperforming investments in their retirement options; and
• An employee of a large technology company who was discriminated based on age and gender.

Meghan received her law degree from Harvard Law School, and her Bachelor of Art’s degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. While at Harvard, Meghan was a Managing Editor for the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, interviewed refugees in Thailand for the International Human Rights Clinic, and worked as a student attorney in the Child Protection Unit of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.

A member of the California, Minnesota, and Maryland bars, Meghan is involved in San Diego legal community presentations through the Federal Bar Association and Enright Inn of Courts.

When Meghan is not lawyering, she enjoys puzzles, exploring new parks with her family, and fitness classes.