H. Vincent McKnight, Jr.

Vincent (Vince) McKnight is Co-Managing Partner of the Washington, DC, Office of Sanford Heisler Sharp, Co-Ombudsperson, and Co-Chair of the firm’s Whistleblower & Qui Tam Practice Group. He handles all sorts of employment law matters and focuses a significant portion of his practice on whistleblower/qui tam claims and employment discrimination. He leads his firm’s Whistleblower & Qui Tam Practice Group.

Mr. McKnight considers whistleblowers as the champions of their workplaces and understands that it can be stressful and exhaustive for them to handle the consequences. He has deep knowledge of all the applicable laws and tries to protect whistleblowers from every form of retaliation. He has helped his clients – individuals and classes – recover millions in settlements and verdicts. 

A 1975 graduate of Brown University, Mr. McKnight obtained his Bachelor of Arts in public policymaking. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School in 1978. While in law school, he was permitted to try a case in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania as a part of his clinical program. He worked as a law clerk for Judge William C. Pryor at the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and the District of Columbia Superior Court.

As a result of his accomplishments, Mr. McKnight was listed among the Leading Plaintiff Employment and Civil Rights Lawyers by Lawdragon 500 and Top 100 Lawyers by The National Black Lawyers. He is named the Most Valuable Player in Government Contracts by Law360 and rated AV Preeminent* through Martindale-Hubbell. Furthermore, he was also recognized by The Best Lawyers in America. 

First licensed to practice in the District of Columbia in 1979, Mr. McKnight is also qualified to appear in Maryland; the U.S. Supreme Court; the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd, 4th and 7th Circuits; the federal courts of Maryland and the District of Columbia; and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 

Involved in his legal circle, Mr. McKnight conducts and takes part in panels on whistleblower laws at the American Bar Association, the Taxpayers Against Fraud and the Federal Bar Association. His stories and opinions on important whistleblower matters are frequently featured in newspapers and magazines. He is an erstwhile member of the board of directors of the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, DC, and now functions as a director of the board of Taxpayers Against Fraud.

*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.