Biography
Jessica Sanford, Partner, practices in general civil litigation, with specialization in the area of insurance defense. She is experienced in handling cases involving personal injury, premises liability (including slip & fall and negligent security), products liability, insurance fraud, construction litigation, and wrongful death. Ms. Sanford is a 1997 graduate of New York University, where she graduated with honors. She received her juris doctorate in 2000 from the University of Miami School of Law. During law school, she worked as a law clerk at a medical malpractice defense firm, participated in the school's trial advocacy program, and worked with a Dade County Class A public defender.
Ms. Sanford began practicing law in 2000, working as an associate with an insurance defense firm located in Hollywood, Florida. In 2001, she assisted in the opening of the first satellite office for the firm in Coral Gables, Florida, where she continued to practice in the area of insurance defense and handled all of the firm's Special Investigative Unit (SIU) cases.
In 2004, Ms. Sanford relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, and joined Barrickman, Allred & Young, LLC. She was the lead attorney on hundreds of cases for the firm, practicing in the State and Superior Courts of Georgia, as well as in the United States District Court in the Northern District of Georgia. Ms. Sanford was the principal attorney handling matters for United Services Automobile Association (USAA), a major client for the firm.
Ms. Sanford joined Fain, Major, Brennan, Sanford & Hardee, P.C. in May of 2011, as Of Counsel, and brought her client, USAA, with her.
Ms. Sanford is a member of the state bars of Georgia and Florida, as well as the Washington, D.C. bar. She is also a member of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
Education
- University of Miami School of Law, Coral Gables, Florida
- J.D. - 2000
- New York University, New York, New York
- B.A. - 1997
- Honors: with Honors
Representative Clients
- AAA
- AFBA-5Star
- Auto Owners
- Federated
- First Chicago Insurance
- USAA
- State Farm
Past Positions
- Barrickman, Allred & Young, LLC, Senior Associate, 2004 to 2011
- Tolgyesi, Katz, Hankin & Katz, P.A., Associate, 2000 to 2004
Languages
- English
Professional Associations
- State Bar of Georgia, 2004 to 2004
- Florida State Bar, 2000 to 2000
- District of Columbia Court of Appeals, 2002 to 2002
Current Employment Position
- Partner
*AV®, BV®, AV Preeminent® and BV Distinguished® are registered certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used 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 practice standards.
Practice Areas
- General Civil Litigation - Insurance Defense
- Premises Liability
- Products Liability
- Insurance Fraud
- Construction Litigation
Bar Admissions
- Georgia, 2004
- Florida, 2000
- District of Columbia, 2002
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Georgia, 2005
Honors
- Ranked AV® Preeminent™ 4.9 out of 5