Sarah M. Raisch

Sarah M. Raisch is a Senior Attorney at Romanucci & Blandin and handles cases on the Medical Malpractice, Civil Rights & Police Misconduct and Sexual Abuse & Hazing teams. Her extensive background as a public defender has provided her with unique tools and insights in advocating for individuals impacted by the criminal justice system, particularly in cases involving police misconduct. Sarah also helps clients seeking justice for issues they face in the healthcare system, assisting them in situations that include, but are not limited to, birth injuries, medical malpractice and other forms of medical harm. She is a passionate advocate for fairness, dignity, and human rights in the legal system.

Sarah proudly represents survivors of sexual abuse, especially in institutional settings such as schools, healthcare facilities and hospitals, and correctional facilities. In 2025, she was one of the lead trial attorneys on the trial team that secured a $15 million verdict against a Chicago-area high school district for failing to protect a male student from sexual abuse by a female teacher. Sarah was also a key contributor to a pro bono Hague Convention case that allowed a mother to remain safely in the United States with her child.
She has also represented victims of mass shootings, including those harmed or killed in Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, and at Old National Bank in Louisville, Kentucky.

Previously, Sarah worked with the firm’s Mass Torts & Class Action team. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois appointed her to serve on the Leadership Development Committee for In re: Hair Relaxer Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3060, Case No. 1:23-cv-818 (Northern District of IL) where she represented women who have used chemical hair straightening products and subsequently developed uterine, endometrial, and ovarian cancer.

Before Romanucci & Blandin, Sarah spent a decade with the Office of the Lake County Public Defender, building up a meaningful history of trial experience, including taking 20 cases to jury verdict. She zealously defended clients facing both misdemeanor and serious felony charges and challenged the prosecution and law enforcement when they violated her clients’ constitutional rights through unlawful search and seizures, illegal warrants, or coerced confessions. Sarah was responsible for a sophisticated caseload in both quantity and complexity of clientele, including clients facing poverty, mental health challenges, substance abuse, lack of childcare and familial stability, and employment barriers.

Before her time as a public defender, Sarah represented adult and juvenile clients in criminal both trial and appellate criminal matters at a small criminal defense firm in Racine, WI.

Sarah enjoys participating in triathlons and completed the 140.6-mile Wisconsin Ironman in 2019. She is a mother of twins and spends her free time planning and enjoying travel with her friends and family when not long-distance running or cooking a gluten-free diet. She is a proud “Double-Badger,” having attended the University of Wisconsin for college and law school.

Experience

Clerkships

• Judicial Clerk, Dane County Circuit Court Judge William Hanrahan, 2011
• Law Clerk, Hennepin County Public Defender's Office, 2010

• J.D., University of Wisconsin Law School, 2011
• B.S.W., University of Wisconsin - Madison, 2008
• B.A., University of Wisconsin - Madison, 2008

• Quarterfinalist, Herbert Wechsler National Moot Court Competition, 2010
• Meyerhoff Undergraduate Excellence Award for Leadership, Service and Scholarship, University of Wisconsin, 2008

• Lake County Bar Association, 2013 - Present
  • Board Member, 2021 - Present
  • Criminal Law Committee Co-Chair, 2020 - 2022
  • Young & New Lawyers Committee Chair, 2018 - 2020
• Northwest Suburban Bar Association, 2022 - Present
  • Co-Chair, 2023 Mock Trial Competition Committee
• Women’s Bar Association of Illinois, 2023 - Present
• Jefferson Inn American Inns of Court, 2018 - Present
• Illinois State Bar Association, 2021 - Present
• Prairie State Legal Services Campaign for Legal Services Committee, 2020 - Present
  • Emcee for two innovative virtual fundraising social events raising substantial gifts for the organization
• Cristo Rey St. Martin High School Mock Trial Program
  • Coach, 2016-2019
  • Attorney Volunteer Coordinator, 2016 - 2019
• Volunteer Juror, Lake County High School Mock Trial Invitational, 2014 - 2016 & 2022
• Participant, National Criminal Defense College Trial Practice Institute, 2015
• Student Attorney, Wisconsin Innocence Project, 2009-2011
• Secretary, Student Bar Association, University of Wisconsin Law School, 2009-2010
• Musical skit performance, Stuart’s Law Revue, University of Wisconsin Law School, 2009-2011
• Vice President of Membership, Moot Court Board, University of Wisconsin Law School, 2010-2011
• Team Coach, Appellate Lawyers Association Moot Court Competition, 2010
• President of Panhellenic Association, University of Wisconsin, 2007-2008
• Executive Director of Humorology, University of Wisconsin, 2006-2007
• Iron Cross Society, University of Wisconsin, 2008

$40,000,000 verdict - medical malpractice

Verdict for a spinal cord stroke that occurred during surgery on a child, resulting in paralysis.

$15,000,000 verdict - school and sexual abuse

Verdict against J. Sterling Morton High School District 201 for failing to protect a male student from sexual abuse by a female teacher. Sarah was one of the case's lead trial attorneys.

$2,000,000 verdict - medical malpractice

On May 3, 2024, a Peoria County, Illinois jury returned a verdict for a 13-year-old girl and against pediatric surgeon Mark J. Holterman, M.D. The jury found that Holterman was negligent as a surgeon regarding his treatment of the girl in 2011.  The jury awarded the girl more than $2 million in damages for her injuries.

$1,500,000 settlement - wrongful death

Settlement on behalf of a mother in a case alleging the wrongful death of her daughter against a renal disease treatment center.

Pro Bono Hague Convention

Complex case that allowed a mother to remain safely in the United States with her child.

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

• Sarah is currently part of, or has helped, the legal teams for multiple mass shooting or nationally known police misconduct and wrongful death lawsuits:
  • Club Q
  • Tyre Nichols
  • Old National Bank (previously)
  • Robb Elementary (previously)
• Sarah previously served as a leadership member in:
  
  • In re: Hair Relaxer Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3060, Case No. 1:23-cv-818 (Northern District of IL) (Leadership Development Committee)

• Illinois, 2011
• Eastern District of Wisconsin, 2011

• Co-Presenter, From Tragedy to Triumph: Stories of Resilience in Legal Battles, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association - Trial & Practice Tips Seminar, Chicago, IL, May 2024
• Guest speaker, Civil Law and Work as a Plaintiff’s Lawyer for Students Who Intend to Go to Law School, Lake Forest College - Legal Studies, Lake Forest, IL, March 2024
• Panelist, Women in Law, UIC Women's Law Caucus and the Justinian Society of Lawyers, Chicago, IL, February 2023