Sarah E. Finch

Partner ( Chicago )

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Direct 312.471.8728 Fax 312.471.8701 sfinch@rshc-law.com

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A former federal law clerk, Sarah Finch is equally at home serving clients’ needs in the fast-paced, fact-intensive environment of the trial court as she is in the precise, analytical setting of the appellate court.

Sarah knows how the judges in the Northern District of Illinois and the Seventh Circuit think. She’s spent several years around them, first interning as a law student and then clerking after earning her J.D. That’s where Sarah first honed her skills in litigation, legal research, opinion writing, and trial and case management. Couple that with Sarah’s considerable experience as an elementary school teacher and tutor, and you’ve got a powerful, civic-minded litigator with the ability to command the room and make difficult concepts accessible to a fifth grader.

Sarah defends large companies and organizations against class and individual allegations of fraud, conspiracy, statutory violations, and breach of contract. She has also participated in qui tam and PCI-DSS compliance investigations and litigated on behalf of cybersecurity and medical device companies seeking to protect their trade secrets.

Experience

Clerkships

Hon. Jorge L. Alonso, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (2016-2017)
Hon. Geraldine Soat Brown, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (2014 2016)
Hon. Michael T. Mason, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (2014)
Judicial Extern – Hon. Ronald Guzman, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (2011)
Judicial Extern – Hon. Ann Claire Williams, Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (2011)
Judicial Extern – Hon. Morton Denlow, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (2010)

Representative Engagements

Part of the team that obtained favorable decision in Illinois Supreme Court on behalf of Fortune 500 company, affirming trial court's grant of summary judgment on civil conspiracy claim.
Part of the team that defended national health care network in preliminary injunction and administrative proceedings concerning the closure of one of the network's hospitals.
Part of the team that obtained preliminary injunction for Fortune 500 Company in trade secret misappropriation case on inevitable disclosure theory.
Part of the team that defended Fortune 50 company in certified federal RICO class action where claimed damages were $9 billion.
Part of the team that obtained dismissal of Title IX complaint against major private university.
Part of the team that obtained dismissal of consumer fraud class action against major airline.

Credentials

Education

Loyola University Chicago School of Law, J.D., 2013, cum laude
Honors at Entrance Scholarship
CALI Awards in Legal Writing and Education Litigation
Senior Editor, Children's Legal Rights Journal
Contracts Academic Tutor
Legal Writing Research Assistant
University of Notre Dame, M.Ed., 2006
University of Notre Dame, B.A., 2004

Bar Admissions

Illinois
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana

Professional Memberships

Chicago Bar Association
Federal Bar Association

Honors & Awards

Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch (Insurance Law, 2022-2023, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions-Defendants, 2021-2023), Best Lawyers^®
Illinois Emerging Lawyer in Class Action/Mass Tort Defense Law, Commercial Litigation, and School Law, Law Bulletin Media Leading Lawyers (2021-2022)
JTB 5 Under 40, Just The Beginning - A Pipeline Organization (2021)

Publications & Presentations

“Back to School with Title IX,” (co-author) RSHC Client Alert & (September 23, 2022)
“Amendment to the Illinois Freedom to Work Act Imposes Significant Restrictions on Non-Competition and Non-Solicitation Agreements,” (co-author) Illinois State Bar Association’s Bench & Bar Newsletter (January 2022, vol. 52, no. 4)