Rachelle Sanchez leverages her experience as a former criminal prosecutor to defend her clients
Rachelle defends leading consumer products companies, automakers, original equipment manufacturers, retailers and others against product liability claims and other high-stakes litigation. As part of her practice, she often serves as local counsel for multinational conglomerates in matters before Alabama courts and the Eleventh Circuit. Rachelle also defends doctors, nurses, surgeons and other health care professionals against medical malpractice claims.
Whether she is consulting with engineers to better understand how a product works or investigating patient charts to develop arguments supporting a physician’s treatment recommendations, Rachelle dives into the facts of each case and fully accounts for the positions of her clients. She then leverages her deep trial, appellate, and alternative dispute resolution experience to develop solutions and strategies that help achieve a client’s unique objectives. Recent examples include:
- Using creative venue transfer strategies to force a plaintiff to settle a multimillion-dollar product liability demand for a fraction of the amount
- Leveraging novel arguments before the Eleventh Circuit to help a secure a favorable verdict in a FDCPA dispute
- Securing favorable results through out-of-the-box mediation strategies
Before joining Lightfoot, Rachelle served in the U.S. Army, first in a combat support role as an MP and later in the JAG office where she worked alongside JAG officers in trying administrative and punitive legal matters. Rachelle also served as a criminal prosecutor with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office in Arizona. She first-chaired numerous jury trials, oversaw more than 200 bench trials and handled hundreds of sentencing and substantive motion hearings. Rachelle brings all of this experience to bear in defending her clients.
In addition to her work with clients, Rachelle serves on Lightfoot's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee. She is also the technology chair for the 2025 DRI Women in the Law Seminar. Rachelle is active with the firm's pro bono efforts and has represented immigration asylum seekers and military sexual harassment survivors.
