- OVERVIEW
- INSIGHTS
- NEWS & EVENTS
PRACTICES
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Education
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Loyola University Chicago School of Law,
J.D., 2012
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Columbia University,
M.S., Social Work, 2005
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University of Chicago,
B.A., Sociology, 2001
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Admissions
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Illinois
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Illinois USDC, Northern District
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Affiliations
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American Bar Association
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Chicago Bar Association
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Chicago Estate Planning Council
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Recognitions
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Listed in "Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch" for Trusts and Estates in Chicago, Illinois (by BL Rankings), 2021-2023
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Included in Illinois Super Lawyers (by Thomson Reuters) Rising Stars list, 2020-2022
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Employment
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Thompson Coburn LLP
Partner, 2021-Present
Associate, 2015-2020
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Bell & Anderson LLC
Associate, 2012-2015
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Loyola University Chicago Federal Tax Clinic
Student Clinician, 2012
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U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Judicial Extern for the Hon. Robert M. Dow, Jr., 2011
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MB Financial Bank
Intern, Wealth Management Department, 2011
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Circuit Court of Cook County
Legal Extern for Judge Daniel J. Pierce, 2011
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U.S. Attorney’s Office Chicago
Legal Intern, 2010
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New York County Defender Services
Forensic Social Worker, 2006-2009
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Friends of Island Academy
Clinical Social Worker, 2004-2006
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Peace Corps
Volunteer in Mali, West Africa, 2001-2003
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Sarah helps individuals, families, and closely held businesses owners identify their goals with regards to safeguarding and transferring their assets and then develops and implements strategies to achieve those goals in a way that considers tax and non-tax objectives.
Sarah provides practical, plainspoken advice on estate planning, trust and estate administration, probate, and business succession planning to a diverse group of clients with varying levels of wealth, up to and including ultra-high-net-worth individuals.
Sarah draws on her drafting skills and keen attention to detail to create wills and trusts to achieve her client's personal and financial estate planning goals while considering state and federal tax laws. She also drafts powers of attorney to ensure that when a client is alive but unable to make his or her own financial or health care decisions, those decisions are made by someone of the client's choosing who understands the client's wishes.
Sarah's mission is to craft a plan that fulfills a client's wishes for the distribution and investment of their wealth, and leaves nothing to interpretation. Where needed, Sarah deftly navigates the complexities of multiple trusts, charitable gifts and various types of assets.
Sarah regularly discusses individual and charitable gifting strategies with her clients, ensuring they have current information on state and federal lawmaking and can make gifting decisions that take advantage of the lifetime gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer tax exemptions.
Individuals and business owners frequently consult Sarah for estate planning advice when considering the purchase of real estate or other assets, buying or selling a business, or encountering major life events, such as marriage or divorce, relocation, changes in health, the arrival of children or grandchildren, or the death of a family member.
Whatever the size of a person's estate, or where they are in their life or professional career, Sarah is passionate about helping her clients plan for the financial security of themselves, their families, and future generations.
Working from Thompson Coburn's Chicago and Wilmette offices, Sarah can conveniently serve clients in Chicago, Evanston, Skokie, and Chicago's northern suburbs.
Before attending law school, Sarah served for several years as a forensic social worker for a New York City public defense firm and a nonprofit that provided clinical services to children previously incarcerated at Rikers Island. Prior to that, Sarah taught English and led agricultural and economic projects as a Peace Corp Volunteer in Mali, West Africa. These experiences formed Sarah's foundational belief in meeting people exactly where they are and finding the right answers for the people she serves.
Thompson Coburn Publications
With the government’s attention turning to taxes, your estate plan may need your attention
Strategies for buy-sell agreements using insurance
Common slipups compromising the effectiveness of trusts you have or will create
Spinning straw into gold: Modifying irrevocable trusts
The tax laws changed. Should your business and estate plans change too?
Filing Form 709: Beyond the basics of gift tax returns
Publications
"Buy-Sell Agreements: Strategies for Buy-Sell Agreements Using Insurance",
Estate Planning, September 2019
"Spinning Straw into Gold: Modifying Irrevocable Trusts",
Estate Planning, January 2019
"The tax laws changed. Should your business and estate plans change too?",
March 2018
"Filing Form 709-- Beyond the Basics of Gift Tax Returns";
Estate Planning, April 2016
Presentations
"Recent Developments and Current Estate Planning Issues,"
DuPage County Estate Planning, Oakbrook, IL, March 2020