Carla Sanderson

carla@carlasandersonlaw.com

Carla Sanderson is an outspoken advocate for her clients, many of whom are experiencing the most difficult times in their lives. Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, Ms. Sanderson became an attorney because she was keenly aware of the injustices faced by so many in our society. With power comes responsibility and Ms. Sanderson utilizes her access to courts and prisons to protect the rights of her clients and further the development of a more equal and just society.

Since 2011 Ms. Sanderson has represented clients in state and federal courts. Ms. Sanderson has worked on numerous complex cases including capital cases, and has represented clients charged with an array of offenses such as white collar crimes and economic frauds, racketeering, narcotics and controlled substance prescription conspiracies, violent crimes, DWIs, and sexual offenses. Her proudest accomplishments include winning a felony sexual assault case brought by Cy Vance’s Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in 2018 and her role in the 2013 trial acquittal of a man facing a mandatory minimum of 25 years in a narcotics and firearm trial in the Southern District of New York. After spending over three years incarcerated awaiting trial, the defendant was voted “not guilty” and walked out of court a free man.

Ms. Sanderson is a proud member of the LGBT community and ally in the Black Lives Matter movement. She has represented many individuals who have been discriminated against in the workplace just for being themselves. In 2015, after years of hard work, Ms. Sanderson won asylum for a gay man from Honduras. During her time as a law student she successfully petitioned for asylum on behalf of a refugee from Côte d'Ivoire and put her language skills to work as a Spanish translator for a gay asylum seeker from Ecuador.

After graduating from law school where she was a Notes and Comments Editor for the Brooklyn Law Review, Ms. Sanderson completed a legal clerkship with Superior Court Judge, Honorable Francis B. Schultz, of Hudson County, New Jersey. In that role, Ms. Sanderson learned the ins and outs of a courtroom and the many ways in which lawyers can impact the lives of their clients as well as advocate for change.

Ms. Sanderson is a member of the Eastern District of New York’s CJA Panel and is a staunch advocate of reform for a fairer criminal justice system.