Sara Garber

BIO

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Attorney Sara Garber is an energetic, motivated, and hard working criminal defense attorney who has a reputation for taking on giants.

 

In June 2024, Sara left her 14-year career in private practice as a criminal defense and civil rights attorney in Chicago and began working for the Federal Community Defender's Office in Detroit, Michigan. There she represents indigent defendants in serious federal criminal cases, by appointment only. 

 

Sara is a leader in her field and has litigated numerous complex criminal and civil rights cases to outstanding results.

 

She exhibits an unwavering commitment to fighting racism, the prison industrial complex, and police abuse of power. Sara puts her clients first. She will work tirelessly and creatively to obtain the best result possible.

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Sara has been recognized by her peers as an exceptional practitioner. Since 2017 Sara was nominated and selected every year as an Illinois Super Lawyer Rising Star (top 2.5% of attorneys under 40). In 2017 She was placed on the Top 40 Under 40 trial lawyers designation by the National Trial Lawyers, Inc. Further, In 2018, Sara was nominated and selected as a Leading Emerging Lawyer for the areas Civil Rights, Constitutional Law, and Criminal Defense, by the Chicago Law Bulletin's Leading Lawyers Division, which recognizes the top 2% of Chicago lawyers under 40.

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In addition to her legal work, served as an adjunct professor and co-director of the Civil Rights Clinic at DePaul University College of Law from 2016-2020. Additionally, for many years, Sara directed a pro bono program dedicated to obtaining the release of elderly inmates on parole. Sara's work on parole is heavily featured in the book Correction: Parole, Prison, and the Possibility of Change by Ben Austen (2023) and the podcast The Parole Room by Ben Austen (2024).  

 

Sara routinely curates and presents at continuing legal education seminars on topics of civil rights, criminal defense, and parole. And, she authored three law review articles published in the Civil Rights & Attorneys Fees Handbook a publication of the National Police Accountability Project.

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