Sara opened her own law firm in December 2010, so she could focus exclusively on Collaborative Divorce, family law, cooperative family law, mediation, custody, and other general family law legal matters. Prior to opening her own law firm, Sara was a partner and the head of the family law department at Hanis Irvine Prothero since 2004.
Sara has handled countless family law cases from simple child support issues to complex custody trials. Sara has been practicing Collaborative family law since 2005, with the intention to preserve the family relationships. She was the first attorney qualified to practice Collaborative Family Law in the entire South King County area. She is also a professionally trained mediator, as well as a Title 26 Family Law Guardian ad Litem.
Sara is on the board of the King County Bar Association
Sara is a member of many professional organizations:
- King County Bar Association – Trustee, Board of Directors
- Collaborative Professionals of Washington, Board Member
- The International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, Member
- King County Collaborative Law, Membership Chair
Additionally, Sara was a member of the Washington State Bar Association’s Lawyer’s Assistance Program Committee for 6 years. Sara is a volunteer attorney at the King County Bar Association’s Greenwood Family Law Clinic, a volunteer as a Family Law Facilitator at the King County court, and is a board member of the W Foundation, a local charity. Since 2002 and every year following, Sara has received the Pro Bono Service Commendation from the Washington State Bar Association for providing pro bono legal services to low income clients.
Sara graduated from Seattle University in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice. She was a member of the Criminal Justice Honor Society. She attended Seattle University School of Law, where she earned her J.D. in 1999.
Sara is also an animal advocate with a local dog rescue organization, working to rescue dogs from high-kill shelters. She also enjoys spending time with her own motley pack of rescue dogs, Walter and Jenny.
Profile of Sara K. Wahl
The King County Bar Association did a profile of Sara in the June 2020 issue of Bar Bulletin.
“The vast majority of family law cases are resolved without litigation,” Wahl observed. “So why not start with an interest-based, non-adversarial process, where the parties can learn how to work through conflict, rather than escalate it in court.”
Wahl has gained tremendous respect from her peers who practice collaborative law. “Sara’s passion for guiding parents through the treachery of separation/divorce with skill, insight, child-centered guidance only rivals her legal expertise — counseling parents, giving them confidence that the decisions they’re making for and with one another are sound,” reported Karen Bonnell, a respected collaborative divorce coach in the Puget Sound region.
You can read the entire article here.