Sanford E. Watson

The value Sanford provides clients extends beyond the courtroom. A former Director of Public Safety for the City of Cleveland, he brings real-world experience that allows him to provide practical counsel to clients involved in government contracts disputes, administrative law issues, and real estate appropriations cases. Clients benefit from his experience administering government contracts, negotiating mutual aid agreements and consent decrees, developing law enforcement policy, and hearing collective bargaining unit grievances and disciplinary matters. The client gets an experienced trial lawyer who understands the need for the best ethical and practical business solution.

Sanford has tried to verdict cases involving business acquisitions, contract disputes, and eminent domain. His first trial experiences were as a prosecutor for the City of Cleveland. As first chair, Sanford tried more than a dozen jury trials to verdict and hundreds of bench trials. Later in his career, he returned to the City to serve as Chief Prosecutor, where he supervised and trained assistant prosecutors, reviewed internal affairs and use of deadly force investigations, and issued criminal charges where appropriate. Sanford also clerked for the Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals.

He devotes a significant portion of his practice to defending distributors and sales representatives in products liability, pharmaceutical, and medical products cases. His experience with sales representatives includes preparing them for and defending them in depositions and at trial. He counsels and teaches witnesses to educate when testifying to bring out their best selves as witnesses.

Sanford is an arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association’s National Panel of Commercial Arbitrators and National Panel of Consumer Arbitrators. He also served for seven years with the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct where he heard disputes regarding legal ethics and attorney discipline.

In addition to his trial practice, Sanford devotes a significant portion of his time to shaping equity and inclusion policy at Tucker Ellis and throughout the Northeast Ohio community. He has served as chair of the firm’s Equity & Inclusion Committee for eight years, and he led the Committee in shaping its mission and objectives for the promotion of diversity and inclusion. Under his leadership, Tucker Ellis has received awards and recognition for its diversity and inclusion best practices.