Christine Dunn

Christine Dunn is Co-Managing Partner at Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight’s Washington, DC office and Co-Chair of the firm’s Sexual Violence, Title IX and Victims’ Rights Practice Group.

Christine has been recognized as a Lawyer of Distinction and as one of Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Plaintiff Employment and Civil Rights Lawyers. Christine was also selected as one of The National Law Journal’s Elite Women of the Plaintiffs Bar (2024); Sexual Violence Litigation Lawyer of the Year for Lawyer Monthly’s Women in Law Awards (2023); Profiles in Diversity Journal’s Women Worth Watching in Leadership (2022) and a Latino Leader (2023); and The National Law Journal’s 2023 Plaintiffs Attorney Trailblazer.

Christine’s practice focuses on representing victims of crime, especially sexual assault in their civil lawsuits. Christine’s representations have included holding institutions, including schools, employers and medical institutions, accountable for failing to keep their members safe from sexual assault. Her work to hold the U.S. military liable for incidents of sexual assault has especially generated widespread media coverage. Christine also handles employment discrimination actions, representing individuals and classes, including a class of approximately ten thousand African American current, former, and prospective Deputy U.S. Marshals who experienced race discrimination.

Christine received her law degree from the University of Virginia and her BA from Yale University. Before joining Sanford Heisler, Christine clerked for Michael Farrell of the DC Court of Appeals and worked at the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. There, Christine prosecuted federal civil rights crimes involving official misconduct, racially motivated violence, and human trafficking. She also conducted extensive grand jury investigations and jury trials throughout the U.S.

Christine conducts presentations on issues related to victim advocacy. She is also a board member of the National Crime Victim Law Institute and a member of the National Crime Victims’ Bar Association.

Updated Oct 2025

Recent matter/case highlights

Litigated and resolved lawsuits against a major shipping company on behalf of two female United States Merchant Marine Academy cadets who alleged they were sexually assaulted and sexually harassed while working aboard a commercial ship as part of their “Sea Year” requirement.
Reached a settlement with boarding school Phillips Exeter Academy on behalf of a former student who was groomed and sexually abused by a longtime math teacher at the school, while also serving as the victim’s advocate during the criminal proceedings against the teacher.
Litigated and settled case on behalf of a female medical student who was sexually assaulted in her apartment building as a result of her landlord’s negligence in failing to repair a known security risk.
Assisted a former employee of a construction and engineering company to obtain a recovery for blowing the whistle on fraud and allowing the government to achieve a $5.65 million settlement under the False Claims Act.
Negotiated settlement of more than a million dollars on behalf of a female general counsel of a financial services company who was discriminated against on the basis of her gender.