Qiaojing Ella Zheng

Qiaojing Ella Zheng (郑巧晶律师) is the Managing Partner of the San Francisco and Palo Alto offices of Sanford Heisler Sharp, and Chair of the firm’s Asian American Litigation and Finance Practice Group. The firm has offices in New York; Washington, D.C.; San Francisco; Palo Alto; Baltimore; San Diego; and Nashville. Ms. Zheng represents clients throughout the state of California and the greater New York metro area on matters involving:

• Employment disputes
• Financial services litigation
• Discrimination and harassment claims
• Civil litigation
• Class actions
• Whistleblower/qui tam claims

Graduating with her Bachelor of Laws degree from Zhejiang University in China, Ms. Zheng pursued her Master’s in Law at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law. She is licensed to practice in the states of New York (2012) and California (2013). She is also admitted to appear before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, and the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of California.

Bilingual in Mandarin Chinese and English, Ms. Zheng is a highly accomplished civil rights litigator with an impressive track record of securing victories for plaintiffs in both individual and class action cases involving claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, and breach of contract. She is also experienced in representing whistleblowers in qui tam matters, working on cases involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the SEC Whistleblower program, the IRS Whistleblower program, and other statutes involving fraud against the federal and state governments. She additionally advises companies and individuals in China and the Silicon Valley on legal matters arising under regulatory and compliance laws in the U.S. Ms. Zheng’s unique skills in cross-cultural communication and understanding have made her a sought-after attorney for multinational and multijurisdictional disputes, and she is widely recognized as the go-to plaintiff’s litigator for Asian American communities across the United States.

With an “Excellent” rating on Avvo, Ms. Zheng is known to be a creative, strategic and tenacious litigator. Since joining Sanford Heisler Sharp, Ms. Zheng has garnered national recognition for her exceptional legal work. In 2022, Ella was named a Rising Star by Law360, named to Elite Trial Lawyers’ Rising Stars of the Plaintiffs Bar, and was selected as an Asian Leader Worth Watching by Profiles in Diversity Journal. She has been recognized as a Super Lawyers Rising Star in Northern California each year since 2016, and as a National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyers in Northern California.

Ms. Zheng is a sought-after thought leader in international and national conferences. She writes blogs on employment disputes and false claims issues. She also plays an active role in her community circle. She is an At-Large Board Member of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the immediate past President and a current board member of the Chinese American Lawyers of the Bay Area, the Board Vice President of YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley and Board Member of the General Association of Zhejiang Entrepreneurs USA. She also serves on the Diversity and Inclusion Committees of Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund and the California Employment Lawyers Association. She has been a volunteer attorney with Legal Aid at Work and the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund. Her unwavering dedication to community service has earned her broad recognition, including the Tribute to Women Awards by the YWCA Silicon Valley and the Minority Bar Coalition Unity Award.