Sharon Vinick


Levy Vinick Burrell Hyams • Oakland


Sharon Vinick is a distinguished attorney with more than 30 years of experience in labor and employment law. An alumnus of U.C. Berkeley and Harvard Law School, Vinick has dedicated her career to championing the rights of individuals facing unfair treatment in the workplace. As the managing partner of Levy Vinick Burrell Hyams, she leads a firm that exclusively represents clients subjected to unjust workplace conditions.


One of Vinick's notable early cases, Lacy T. v. The Oakland Raiders, brought to light the underpayment of cheerleaders in the National Football League, a practice that had been kept out of the public eye. The case, which made national headlines, resulted in a domino effect of similar lawsuits across the country, ultimately leading to a significant shift in how NFL cheerleaders are compensated.


More recently, in May 2024, Vinick served as trial counsel in a case that revolved around allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation against Patricia Toscano, an administrative assistant at a senior center run by the city. Patricia Toscano v. City of Oakland, RG21094864 (Ala. Sup. Ct., filed March 23, 2021).


"During litigation and through trial, the city vociferously argued that Ms. Toscano had made up the allegations of harassment," Vinick said. 


The jury found that the allegations of harassment and retaliation were credible and awarded her client over $2.6 million. 


"In this post-'Me Too' era, it was extremely gratifying to be able to convince a jury a woman's claims for harassment cannot be ignored simply because there are no witnesses to the harassment," Vinick said.


In the Toscano case, Vinick noted there were two obstacles that had to be overcome. First, it was a "he said, she said" case, in which there were no witnesses to most of the conduct about which the plaintiff complained, she said. 


"In order to prove our client's claims, we had to make sure that her credibility was unimpeachable, that her testimony was persuasive, and that the harasser was a liar," Vinick said. "We spent hours and hours preparing our client for her testimony and pouring over the testimony of defense witnesses to poke holes in their stories. Also, we spent a substantial amount of time identifying and locating witnesses who provided testimony that rebutted claims made by defense witnesses." 


Secondly, Vinick's client had a history of childhood sexual abuse. 


"To prove the actions of the city triggered plaintiff's pre-existing PTSD required careful preparation with our client and deep knowledge regarding the manner in which childhood trauma can impact adults subject to similar conduct."