Areas of Focus
A practical approach to solving problems can often lead to better results. Sarah Futernick serves Fortune 500 and other companies facing all sorts of concerns, ranging from contract and insurance disputes to environmental, bankruptcy and right of publicity issues. With her calm demeanor and objective analysis, major defense and aerospace companies rely on Sarah to handle multi-faceted problems, often involving numerous parties and complicated legal issues.
Sarah takes pride in being thorough and knowledgeable but still approachable, always willing to dive deep into any significant issue that may arise. She helps clients shape the future of their businesses with proactive risk analyses that don’t just resolve a matter today, but also reduce the probability of the problem occurring again tomorrow.
Clients, courts and other decision-makers get clear and plain-language explanations thanks to Sarah’s background in psychology and organizational studies, which aids her in communicating more effectively with all kinds of people. Recently, she helped a large defense corporation client achieve multiple favorable outcomes following years of civil litigation in federal court and won an appeal before the Illinois Appellate Court for a pro bono client seeking to prove his innocence.
Litigation doesn’t always need to be confrontational for the sake of being confrontational. My job is primarily to understand, work with, and help other people.
Areas of Focus
Representative Matters
- Represents government contractor clients in complex CERCLA litigation involving successor liability, breach of contract, bankruptcy, insurance, and environmental law issues. Such matters include claims alleging hundreds of millions of dollars in cleanup costs across multiple states based on alleged historic liabilities.
- Regularly advises government contractor clients on contractual risk management and best practices through comprehensive analysis of terms and conditions.
- Represented an original equipment manufacturer of private aircraft in arbitration involving breach of contract dispute with over $10 million in liquidated damages at stake. Following expert discovery, secured a favorable agreement for the client.
- Member of litigation team representing a mortgage industry client in several cases arising from the 2008 financial crisis relating to mortgage-backed securitization trusts, including one matter that culminated in a three-week federal bench trial in which the plaintiff sought nearly $1 billion.
Credentials
Service / Recognition
Overview
A practical approach to solving problems can often lead to better results. Sarah Futernick serves Fortune 500 and other companies facing all sorts of concerns, ranging from contract and insurance disputes to environmental, bankruptcy and right of publicity issues. With her calm demeanor and objective analysis, major defense and aerospace companies rely on Sarah to handle multi-faceted problems, often involving numerous parties and complicated legal issues.
Sarah takes pride in being thorough and knowledgeable but still approachable, always willing to dive deep into any significant issue that may arise. She helps clients shape the future of their businesses with proactive risk analyses that don’t just resolve a matter today, but also reduce the probability of the problem occurring again tomorrow.
Clients, courts and other decision-makers get clear and plain-language explanations thanks to Sarah’s background in psychology and organizational studies, which aids her in communicating more effectively with all kinds of people. Recently, she helped a large defense corporation client achieve multiple favorable outcomes following years of civil litigation in federal court and won an appeal before the Illinois Appellate Court for a pro bono client seeking to prove his innocence.
Litigation doesn’t always need to be confrontational for the sake of being confrontational. My job is primarily to understand, work with, and help other people.
Areas of Focus
Representative Matters
- Represents government contractor clients in complex CERCLA litigation involving successor liability, breach of contract, bankruptcy, insurance, and environmental law issues. Such matters include claims alleging hundreds of millions of dollars in cleanup costs across multiple states based on alleged historic liabilities.
- Regularly advises government contractor clients on contractual risk management and best practices through comprehensive analysis of terms and conditions.
- Represented an original equipment manufacturer of private aircraft in arbitration involving breach of contract dispute with over $10 million in liquidated damages at stake. Following expert discovery, secured a favorable agreement for the client.
- Member of litigation team representing a mortgage industry client in several cases arising from the 2008 financial crisis relating to mortgage-backed securitization trusts, including one matter that culminated in a three-week federal bench trial in which the plaintiff sought nearly $1 billion.
Credentials
Admissions
- Illinois, 2014
- Michigan, 2024
Education
- University of Michigan Law School, JD, cum laude, 2013
- University of Michigan, BA, High Distinction, Phi Beta Kappa, Angell Scholar, 2010
Service / Recognition
Awards
-
The BTI Class Action Leaders, 2026
-
Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America, Commercial Litigation, 2026
- Jenner & Block, Mentorship Award, 2020
Community
- ACLU of Illinois Next Generation Society, Board of Directors, Member
- Anti-Defamation League, Glass Leadership Institute, 2022