Practice Areas:
Dispute resolution
Jurisdictions:
Biography
Nicole Wiitala is a Managing Partner for Legal Personnel at Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight. Her practice has primarily focused on discrimination and harassment and criminal/sexual violence matters, representing both individuals and classes.
Nicole has litigated a number of class actions on behalf of class members alleging violations of Title VII, Title IX, the Equal Pay Act, and the FLSA. Nicole litigated a landmark Title IX class action against Dartmouth College that culminated in a $14 million Court-approved settlement (in addition to programmatic relief) for all female students in the class. She also litigated nationwide gender discrimination class actions against Merck and Co., Inc. and Forest Pharmaceuticals, Inc., both of which resulted in multi-million-dollar Court-approved settlements. Nicole also litigated a wage and hour class action against Alaska Communications Systems and successfully obtained class certification on behalf of misclassified employees.
Nicole also litigates individual cases on behalf of employees, executives, and students who have experienced discrimination or sexual misconduct. Her representations include (but are not limited to) the Vice President for Legal Affairs at Giorgio Armani Corporation; the former in-house counsel at Zara; the former General Counsel and Executive Vice President at EXL Service Holdings, Inc.; and the former Senior Vice President at JUUL Labs, Inc.
Since joining Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, Nicole has been recognized in the legal community as a 2021 New York Metro Super Lawyer Rising Star. Nicole was recently recognized as one of the 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Civil Rights & Plaintiff Employment Lawyers.
A member of the New York bar, Nicole has presented at conferences on sex abuse class action cases.
Nicole received her law degree cum laude from Pace University School of Law, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of Pace Law Review.
Nicole has litigated a number of class actions on behalf of class members alleging violations of Title VII, Title IX, the Equal Pay Act, and the FLSA. Nicole litigated a landmark Title IX class action against Dartmouth College that culminated in a $14 million Court-approved settlement (in addition to programmatic relief) for all female students in the class. She also litigated nationwide gender discrimination class actions against Merck and Co., Inc. and Forest Pharmaceuticals, Inc., both of which resulted in multi-million-dollar Court-approved settlements. Nicole also litigated a wage and hour class action against Alaska Communications Systems and successfully obtained class certification on behalf of misclassified employees.
Nicole also litigates individual cases on behalf of employees, executives, and students who have experienced discrimination or sexual misconduct. Her representations include (but are not limited to) the Vice President for Legal Affairs at Giorgio Armani Corporation; the former in-house counsel at Zara; the former General Counsel and Executive Vice President at EXL Service Holdings, Inc.; and the former Senior Vice President at JUUL Labs, Inc.
Since joining Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, Nicole has been recognized in the legal community as a 2021 New York Metro Super Lawyer Rising Star. Nicole was recently recognized as one of the 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Civil Rights & Plaintiff Employment Lawyers.
A member of the New York bar, Nicole has presented at conferences on sex abuse class action cases.
Nicole received her law degree cum laude from Pace University School of Law, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of Pace Law Review.
Recent matter/case highlights
- Litigated a landmark Title IX class action against Dartmouth College, resulting in a $14 million court-approved settlement plus programmatic relief.
- Litigated nationwide gender discrimination class actions against Merck & Co., Inc. and Forest Pharmaceuticals, Inc., resulting in multi-million-dollar court-approved settlements.
- Successfully obtained class certification in a wage and hour class action against Alaska Communications Systems on behalf of misclassified employees.
- Represented employees, executives, and students in discrimination and sexual misconduct matters, including senior executives from Giorgio Armani Corporation, Zara, EXL Service Holdings, Inc., and JUUL Labs, Inc.
Key practice areas
- Class action
- Labor and employment
- Plaintiff
Academic qualifications
- J.D., cum laude, Pace University School of Law
Bar Admissions
- New York
Address:
Tel:+16466036782
Email:Contact this practitioner
Website:http://www.sanfordheisler.com/
17 State Street, 37th Floor
New York, NY, 10004
United States