40 Under Forty 2021

2021

SARAH FRAZER

She has a unique combination of skills, judgment and personality that are uncommon at this stage of a person’s career.”

S arah Frazer didn’t jump immediate- ly into law as a career. Instead, she worked for nearly 11 years as a nurse in Chicago after earning her undergraduate degree. This career was no mere detour, though. Her experience in nursing has played a key role in Frazer’s rise as a star in her field of medical malpractice defense. Frazer’s combination of medical and le- gal knowledge provides her with added in- sights into the challenges that her clients face. It gives her that extra edge in defend- ing the allegations made against them. But it’s not just legal knowledge and skills that have helped Frazer build her thriving practice. Frazer is also committed to her clients. She logs long hours devel- oping legal strategies to defend them. She puts in the work behind the scenes that is so necessary for success. And when Frazer appears before a judge on behalf of her clients? She has mastered the art of presenting her clients’ cases succinctly, clearly and effectively. “I am always happy to see Sarah step up on cases, as she is smart, competent and a great advocate for her clients,” said a judge with the Circuit Court of Cook County’s Law Division. “Sarah represents her clients well. She navigates com- plex discovery issues well and strongly advocates her position on dispositive motions.” Chicago attorney James Stamos has seen Frazer’s work firsthand. He and Frazer took a case to trial that settled im- mediately before jury selection. The case involved an accomplished and forceful

plaintiffs’ firm representing a problematic family. Frazer was the second chair for the target defendant. “The cast of attorneys was filled with headstrong and aggressive lawyers, which made the experience both very intense and not always pleasant,” Stamos said. “Despite what otherwise might be seen as a peripheral role, she served the interests of everyone involved by remaining calm and professional in the face of the storm, helping to smooth the process of getting the case to trial while never undermining her client’s position.” As Stamos says, “Her conduct helped keep a bunch of angry old lawyers from taking the case completely off the rails. That skill served all of us well and will serve her well in her career.” Melinda Malecki, chief legal officer for The Loretto Hospital in Chicago, said that Frazer displays talent and poise that you’d expect from attorneys with much longer careers. “She has a unique combination of skills, judgment and personality that are uncom- mon at this stage of a person’s career,” Malecki said. “She is, of course, intelligent and hard-working, but my comment goes way beyond that. She easily connects with people. In my view, she is definitely someone to watch from a professional perspective.” Outside of her career, Frazer sits on the associate board for Giordano Dance Chi- cago and the associate board for El Valor, an organization that helps Chicago-area children and adults with disabilities.

FIRM Hall, Prangle & Schoonveld, LLC LAW SCHOOL The John Marshall Law School AREA OF PRACTICE Medical malpractice defense

40 Under Forty 2021 CHICAGO LAWYER & CHICAGO DAILY LAW BULLETIN

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