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Overview

Sarah helps clients proactively address labor and employment matters, creating an inclusive and welcoming culture for their employees.

After cutting her teeth advising employers in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sarah focuses on offering preventative counsel on compliance with federal and state employment regulations—particularly in the state of California. She also provides advice and guidance on employment best practices: time as a federal law clerk early in her career showed Sarah how much litigation can be prevented simply through better legal counsel early on, and she is passionate about helping companies do the right thing for both their people and their businesses.

Sarah is particularly knowledgeable about various Fair Chance and Ban-the-Box laws, which aim to reduce employment barriers for individuals with conviction histories, and she regularly helps employers develop compliant policies and hiring practices. She also assists companies in leveraging community resources to avail themselves of potentially untapped talent and ensure a truly inclusive workforce. In addition, Sarah offers training on discrimination and harassment, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion issues, including advice on how companies can support non-English-speaking employees. After a prior career as a high school teacher, Sarah excels at educating clients and creating hypothetical scenarios that bring meaning to her training sessions.

At the end of the day, Sarah still sees herself as an educator: her experience in the courts taught her that the best advocates are the best educators, and if there’s one thing she learned from her time in the classroom, it was how to communicate information clearly. Clients value Sarah’s dedication to ensuring that they have understood her counsel—and that she has understood their businesses. With a reputation for walking with clients through difficult situations, Sarah is known for having the vision to help companies improve and move forward.

Industry

Services

Recognition

  • Pepperdine Caruso School of Law Belonging Awards, Young Alumni Award, 2024
  • Missouri Educator’s Certificate
  • Crisis Prevention Intervention Certified

Education

  • J.D., Pepperdine University
    • magna cum laude
    • Pepperdine Law Review, Managing Editor
    • Order of the Coif
  • B.A., Truman State University
    • magna cum laude

Admissions

  • Missouri
  • California

Professional Memberships and Certifications

  • Certificate in Diversity & Inclusion, Cornell University - School of Industrial and Labor Relations

Clerkships

  • Honorable André Birotte Jr., U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
  • Honorable James E. Graves Jr., U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

Languages

  • Spanish, fluent


*Contact Sarah to set up an in-person consultation by appointment in the Kansas City office.
2024 Pro Bono Champion
Experience
  • Advised employers on COVID-19 local and state mandates, furlough procedures and employee benefit coverage.
  • Drafted briefs for appeals in the California Court of Appeals and the Ninth Circuit.
  • As clerk for federal judge, drafted orders involving compassionate release, immigration revocation proceedings, contract disputes, wage and hour class actions, antitrust law, and Section 1983 claims.
Outside the Office

Sarah loves spending time outdoors and going for runs and hikes—although these activities were admittedly easier during her time in California before her return to the Midwest. She also enjoys trying out new restaurants and recipes, especially for baked goods.

When she has time away from the office, Sarah is an avid traveler. One of her favorite experiences was a spring trip to Switzerland where she skied for only the second time, while surrounded by expert European skiers eager to help improve her skills.

Sarah is also a sports fan who wishes she never had to miss a Cardinals or Dodgers game.