Leigh Anne St. Charles - Nashville, TN
Attorney at Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, LLP
Litigation Lawyers in Nashville, TN
611 Commerce Street Suite 3100 Nashville, TN 37203
- Free Consultation
- 1 Super Lawyers®
-
11
Years
Experience
Nashville Litigation Lawyer
Updated: 10/07/2026
Areas of Practice
- Litigation
- Discrimination and Harassment
- Financial Mismanagement and ERISA Litigation
Attorney Information
Overview
Leigh Anne is the Managing Partner of the Nashville office of Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, Firmwide Co-Head of Litigation, and Co-Chair of the firm’s Discrimination and Harassment Practice Group and the firm’s Financial Mismanagement and ERISA Litigation Practice Group.
At Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, Leigh Anne’s practice has focused on discrimination and harassment, and financial services litigation. As part of her discrimination and harassment practice, Leigh Anne has represented individuals and classes in claims of gender, age, FMLA, and disability discrimination, and retaliation. As part of her financial services practice, Leigh Anne represents classes of workers from around the country who have invested through their employer’s 401(k) plan in their claims of breach of fiduciary duty and 401(k) plan mismanagement. Leigh Anne’s representations have included:
- Securing a $69 million settlement on behalf of participants in UnitedHealth Group’s 401(k), one of the largest ERISA settlements ever for claims of breach of fiduciary duty for a single plan
- Securing an $8.3 million arbitration verdict on behalf of the co-founder of a global semi-conductor company following his termination in Chen v. InnoGrit Corporation, et al.
- Securing a settlement of over $2 million on behalf of the former CEO of the Nashville airport following litigation of his claims of FMLA and disability discrimination in Wigington v. Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority et al.
- Negotiating settlements on behalf of female partners at multiple AmLaw 200 law firms for claims of gender discrimination, inequitable pay, and failure to promote
- Negotiating settlements on behalf of multiple female executives and in-house counsel at Fortune 500 corporations for claims of gender discrimination, pregnancy and caregiver discrimination, and retaliation
- Securing a settlement on behalf of more than 700 auto-workers in a class age discrimination claim against Volkswagen in Manlove v. Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft et al.
- Serving as interim-class counsel in ongoing class litigation on behalf of current and former 401(k) plan participants in claims of fiduciary breach against UnitedHealth Group in Snyder v. UnitedHealth Group, Inc. et al.
- Litigating an ongoing class matter on behalf of current and former 401(k) plan participants in claims of fiduciary breach against plan fiduciaries of RBC USA, Husch Blackwell, and The Reinalt-Thomas Corporation (d/b/a Discount Tire Co., Inc.).
Since joining Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, Leigh Anne has been widely recognized in the legal community, including:
- Named a Mid-South Rising Star by Super Lawyers each year since 2019,
- Recognized by Best Lawyers in America “Ones to Watch” in the field of Employment Law – Individuals each year since 2021
- Named one of the Top 40 Under 40 Lawyers in Tennessee by the National Trial Lawyers Association
- Named one of Business Insider’s first-ever “Rising Stars of the Courtroom” in 2022
- Received Diversity Journal’s Women Worth Watching in Leadership award in 2023
- Named a “Lawyer on the Rise” by American Lawyer in its 2025 Southeastern Legal Awards
Leigh Anne received her law degree from Columbia Law School and her Bachelor of Arts cum laude from Western Kentucky University. While at Columbia Law School, Leigh Anne was a James Kent and Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. She served as a notes editor for the Journal of Law and Social Problems, a board member for the American Constitution Society and Workers’ Rights Student Coalition, and a teaching assistant for Disability Law. She also tutored middle school students through the Harlem Tutorial Project.
A member of the Tennessee and District of Columbia bars, Leigh Anne co-authored an article, Brokerage Windows in 401(k) Plans: The Total Abdication of Fiduciary Responsibility, in the Winter 2021 edition of the Benefits Law Journal.
Before joining Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, Leigh Anne was an associate at Arnold and Porter, LLP, where she gained substantial experience in complex commercial litigation.
When Leigh Anne is not lawyering, she enjoys spending time with friends and family and gardening. Leigh Anne is also a certified doula.
Awards and Honors
Honors
- Benchmark Litigation’s 40 and Under List - 2026
- Business Insider‘s “Rising Star” Selectee - 2022
- Best Lawyers’ Ones to Watch Selectee for “Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law,” “Labor and Employment Law - Employee,” and “Litigation - Labor and Employment” - 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, and 2021
- Tennessee Super Lawyers’ “Rising Star” Selectee - 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019
- Law.com‘s “On the Rise in Tennessee” Honoree - 2025
- Profiles in Diversity Journal‘s Women Worth Watching in Leadership - 2023
- Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Civil Rights and Plaintiff Employment Lawyers” Selectee - 2026 and 2025
- Named a “Lawyer on the Rise” by American Lawyer in its 2025 Southeastern Legal Awards
Other Sources of Feedback About Leigh Anne St. Charles
Included on the 2025 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
Past Lists
- 2024 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
- 2023 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
- 2022 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
- 2021 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
- 2020 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
- 2019 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
Education
Legal Education
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Columbia Law School, New York, New York
J.D.
Honors: Board Member for the American Constitution Society and Workers’ Rights Student Coalition
Honors: Harlem Tutorial Project
Honors: James Kent and Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar
Law Journal: The Journal of Law and Social Problems, Notes Editor
Non Legal Education
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Western Kentucky University
B.A.
Honors: cum laude
Current Employment Position(s)
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Nashville Managing Partner
Past Positions
- Arnold and Porter, LLP, Associate
Representative Cases
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Chen v. InnoGrit Corporation, et al.
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Wigington v. Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority et al.
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Manlove v. Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft et al.
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Pizarro v. The Home Depot, Inc. et al.
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Snyder v. UnitedHealth Group, Inc. et al.
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Cutrone v. The Allstate Corp. et al.
Published Works
Articles
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Co-Author, Brokerage Windows in 401(k) Plans: The Total Abdication of Fiduciary Responsibility, Benefits Law Journal, Winter 2021
Bar Admissions
- District of Columbia, 2015
- Tennessee, 2018
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, 2017
Photo
Contact
611 Commerce Street
Suite 3100
Nashville, TN 37203
Phone Number: 888-681-5583
Fax Number: 615-434-7020
Email: Send a message
Website: https://www.sanfordheisler.com
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30AM-5:30PM
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