team-member

Sarah Macgillis

Minneapolis, MN

Licensed for 23 years

Law Degree

Awards

Primary Practice Area

Criminal Defense

Language

Spanish

About

Sarah MacGillis found her niche in being a trial lawyer. She brings unparalleled enthusiasm, hard work and tireless creativity to her practice. Sarah has been recognized as a "Super Lawyer" by Minnesota Law & Politics Magazine every single year from 2011-2021, an honor bestowed upon less than 5% of all lawyers within the state of Minnesota.  And she has earned it by working exceptionally hard on her clients' matters and consistently delivering excellent results in a variety of forums.  Prior to that, she was named a "Rising Star" multiple years by that same publication.Sarah defends licensed professionals in investigations initiated at their licensing boards.  At the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice, the Minnesota Board of Nursing, and the Minnesota Professional Education Licensing and Standards Board, she has obtained numerous dismissals of complaints.  She has done the same at numerous other licensing boards. She has earned not-guilty verdicts and dismissal orders in courtrooms all over the state of Minnesota.  And she has successfully briefed and argued cases before the Minnesota Supreme Court, the Minnesota Court of Appeals, and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.In 2015, she obtained a DISMISSAL OF ALL CHARGES against an educator charged in a 17-count felony complaint. In 2017, she obtained a dismissal of all charges in a neglect of a vulnerable adult act case. In 2016,  she obtained a REVERSAL of a federal defendant's 262 month sentence on appeal before the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and then subsequently successfully argued for a 10-YEAR REDUCTION in his sentence at a re-sentencing hearing.   In 2017, she obtained a reversal of a sentence in a multiple count felony case and a substantial reduction during the subsequent resentencing before the district court.She will work hard and explore every possible defense in your case.  She will listen carefully to you and work with you and your family through the entire process.  She will treat you with the respect and kindness that you deserve.   

Practices Areas

Criminal Defense

White Collar Crime

Language

Spanish

Contact

James C MacGillis310 South 4th AvenueSuite 8000Minneapolis, MN, 55415310 South 4th AvenueSuite 8000Suite 8000Minneapolis, MN, 55415

Office: N/A

Website: N/A

Reviews

anonymous
January 21, 2020

Sarah represented me in a false allegation of student maltreatment. From the start she supported me by taking control while sharing the direction of the process. She was always responsive when questions arose and many did, given the newness of the situation to me as an educator of 24 years. The case was investigated, I felt strongly supported and the situation was decided in my favor. The calmness, professionalism and care Sarah showed made this process less stressful for my family. Sarah Macgillis has experience working with educators and I would recommend her to any of my teacher colleagues if law service is needed!

anonymous
January 19, 2020

My case was specifically motivated by power, abuse and retribution by administrators that did not care that their negative unfounded actions would destroy an innocent persons career. I was in need of a lawyer who had the depth of understanding required to fight my case and could work with all the nuances affecting my situation. If not my new hard fought professional career was going to end and I would be personally and professionally affected by the consequences for a very long time. I could not be unemployed as a single mother. Sarah was diligent in helping me gather the necessary critical materials and witness/colleague statements to present the solid evidence that I was wrongly accused and there was no evidence of any wrongdoing. Working with Sarah, Justice was Served. It was an emotionally challenging legal situation and Sarah presented herself professionally at all times, and had the emotional capacity to present the facts in the best way possible. When we won the case, I new I had selected the best person to facilitate the job with the best skills and tools to support me in winning. Justice Reigned!!!

anonymous
January 17, 2020

Unfortunately I had to retain a lawyer due to an educational maltreatment charge. Although I felt the charges were negatively motivated by a hostile supervisor, nonetheless I had to seek representation. Ms Sarah Macgillis was the number one referral from friends in the field. I can attest to her willingness to listen, gather all the information, give sound advice, then bring all the components together to advocate on my behalf. Ms Macgillis is tenacious in her representation and defense. She was willing to go the extra mile to make sure everyone had context and accurate facts. I would retain her again without hesitation. She is simple one of the best in the field!

Anonymous
March 29, 2019

I researched for legal representation for a conference meeting with the MN Board of Nursing and discovered Sarah online and it happened to be a good decision. She was well knowledgeable about the processes I was about to embark on. Her techniques, counsel and methods of approaching this conference proved to be accurate and delivered favorable results.

anonymous
March 1, 2018

We hired Sarah when false allegations were brought against me. She was prompt, understanding, knowledgeable, and VERY empathetic with us through entire process. She explained every step before it happened relieving anxiety/stress. Sarah is extremely personable and friendly. She was a good foundation through this emotional situation.

Steph
February 16, 2018

We hired Sarah to represent me when false allegations were made against me. I can't say enough about Sarah's tenacity to clear my name. As I had NEVER been accused of anything before, Sarah talked my husband and I about the steps we needed to take to achieve my innocence. This incident caused me/us great emotional stress. Sarah provided support, understanding and empathy by frequently sending positive and caring emails to help me get through the process. Sarah is an AMAZING attorney who not only cares about your case, she sincerely cares about her clients. I would HIGHLY recommend her to anyone searching for professional representation with a personal touch!

Amy
May 14, 2016

Sarah was wonderful to work with. I was in the position to have to give testimony in a health licensing board investigation. Being concerned and overwhelmed I wanted someone to look out for my best interests. Sarah did exactly that. She was thorough and made sure I understood everything I was involved in. I would definitely recommend hiring Sarah. She is knowledgeable and caring and does not fit into the stereotypical attorney role.

anonymous
February 26, 2016

I retained Sarah for representation when I was called before the BON for allegations made against me. Not only did she advise me on the best defense against the allegations, she also offered me sound legal advice on how to buffer my image and which verbiage I should use and not use before the board. I felt confident, prepared, and emotionally able to handle the outcome of the encounter with the board. With Sarah's help, I was able to get the allegations dismissed. i would strongly recommend her to anyone seeking legal council. She made herself available to me for questions and information at all times, which I greatly appreciated. Sarah made me feel comfortable even though I was being threatened with fairly damaging allegations. She is a open-minded individual and I feel she remains unbiased which is extremely important while seeking representation.

anonymous
October 14, 2015

Sarah Macgillis represented me in a student maltreatment case. It was a very frightening time in my career as an educator. I was stunned and didn't understand what was happening as the school began its investigation. From the very first phone consultation, with Ms. Macgillis, I realized that I was in extremely capable hands. Sarah showed a great deal of compassion as she listened to my story. She let me know that this was an area of expertise, and I was reassured by her knowledge in this area of the law. She did a wonderful job of preparing me for the investigator's interview as she walked me through possible questions that might be asked. She also helped me to keep things in perspective during the six month process. Sarah was always available to discuss my case and answer any questions that I had throughout the process, even to the point where she was willing to receive calls and emails during her personal vacation time. That, in my way of thinking, is going above and beyond the call of duty, which truly speaks to who Sarah is as a professional and as a person. When my case reached a favorable determination on my behalf, Sarah celebrated along with me. I highly recommend Sarah Macgillis as a lawyer. She deserves as many positive reviews as there are stars in the sky!

anonymous
October 12, 2015

Sarah MacGillis is one of the most committed, aggressive, professional and effective attorneys. Sarah is one of the very rare, shining examples of the sort of consummately professional, caring, and thoughtful attorneys should be. Sarah has gone out of her way at every point to clearly communicate and keep me informed. Sarah was amazingly thorough and creative in her search for cases relevant to my own. I found Sarah very capable of keeping me focused on each step of the process which I considered to be quite daunting. Her follow through is to be commended and she always returns phone calls and quickly replies to email. Though Sarah is empathic, her ability to keep the broader perspective in focus for me was extremely helpful. Sarah was a very calming and empowering presence as I went through the legal process that involved very personal aspects of my life. I find Sarah to be that rare combination of kind, hardworking and of unquestionable integrity. I would highly recommend Sarah MacGillis, and I do believe one would be fortunate to engage her services. I am eternally grateful for Sarah MacGillis and for the outcome of my case.

anonymous
January 21, 2020

Sarah represented me in a false allegation of student maltreatment. From the start she supported me by taking control while sharing the direction of the process. She was always responsive when questions arose and many did, given the newness of the situation to me as an educator of 24 years. The case was investigated, I felt strongly supported and the situation was decided in my favor. The calmness, professionalism and care Sarah showed made this process less stressful for my family. Sarah Macgillis has experience working with educators and I would recommend her to any of my teacher colleagues if law service is needed!

anonymous
January 19, 2020

My case was specifically motivated by power, abuse and retribution by administrators that did not care that their negative unfounded actions would destroy an innocent persons career. I was in need of a lawyer who had the depth of understanding required to fight my case and could work with all the nuances affecting my situation. If not my new hard fought professional career was going to end and I would be personally and professionally affected by the consequences for a very long time. I could not be unemployed as a single mother. Sarah was diligent in helping me gather the necessary critical materials and witness/colleague statements to present the solid evidence that I was wrongly accused and there was no evidence of any wrongdoing. Working with Sarah, Justice was Served. It was an emotionally challenging legal situation and Sarah presented herself professionally at all times, and had the emotional capacity to present the facts in the best way possible. When we won the case, I new I had selected the best person to facilitate the job with the best skills and tools to support me in winning. Justice Reigned!!!

anonymous
January 17, 2020

Unfortunately I had to retain a lawyer due to an educational maltreatment charge. Although I felt the charges were negatively motivated by a hostile supervisor, nonetheless I had to seek representation. Ms Sarah Macgillis was the number one referral from friends in the field. I can attest to her willingness to listen, gather all the information, give sound advice, then bring all the components together to advocate on my behalf. Ms Macgillis is tenacious in her representation and defense. She was willing to go the extra mile to make sure everyone had context and accurate facts. I would retain her again without hesitation. She is simple one of the best in the field!

Anonymous
March 29, 2019

I researched for legal representation for a conference meeting with the MN Board of Nursing and discovered Sarah online and it happened to be a good decision. She was well knowledgeable about the processes I was about to embark on. Her techniques, counsel and methods of approaching this conference proved to be accurate and delivered favorable results.

anonymous
March 1, 2018

We hired Sarah when false allegations were brought against me. She was prompt, understanding, knowledgeable, and VERY empathetic with us through entire process. She explained every step before it happened relieving anxiety/stress. Sarah is extremely personable and friendly. She was a good foundation through this emotional situation.

Steph
February 16, 2018

We hired Sarah to represent me when false allegations were made against me. I can't say enough about Sarah's tenacity to clear my name. As I had NEVER been accused of anything before, Sarah talked my husband and I about the steps we needed to take to achieve my innocence. This incident caused me/us great emotional stress. Sarah provided support, understanding and empathy by frequently sending positive and caring emails to help me get through the process. Sarah is an AMAZING attorney who not only cares about your case, she sincerely cares about her clients. I would HIGHLY recommend her to anyone searching for professional representation with a personal touch!

Amy
May 14, 2016

Sarah was wonderful to work with. I was in the position to have to give testimony in a health licensing board investigation. Being concerned and overwhelmed I wanted someone to look out for my best interests. Sarah did exactly that. She was thorough and made sure I understood everything I was involved in. I would definitely recommend hiring Sarah. She is knowledgeable and caring and does not fit into the stereotypical attorney role.

anonymous
February 26, 2016

I retained Sarah for representation when I was called before the BON for allegations made against me. Not only did she advise me on the best defense against the allegations, she also offered me sound legal advice on how to buffer my image and which verbiage I should use and not use before the board. I felt confident, prepared, and emotionally able to handle the outcome of the encounter with the board. With Sarah's help, I was able to get the allegations dismissed. i would strongly recommend her to anyone seeking legal council. She made herself available to me for questions and information at all times, which I greatly appreciated. Sarah made me feel comfortable even though I was being threatened with fairly damaging allegations. She is a open-minded individual and I feel she remains unbiased which is extremely important while seeking representation.

anonymous
October 14, 2015

Sarah Macgillis represented me in a student maltreatment case. It was a very frightening time in my career as an educator. I was stunned and didn't understand what was happening as the school began its investigation. From the very first phone consultation, with Ms. Macgillis, I realized that I was in extremely capable hands. Sarah showed a great deal of compassion as she listened to my story. She let me know that this was an area of expertise, and I was reassured by her knowledge in this area of the law. She did a wonderful job of preparing me for the investigator's interview as she walked me through possible questions that might be asked. She also helped me to keep things in perspective during the six month process. Sarah was always available to discuss my case and answer any questions that I had throughout the process, even to the point where she was willing to receive calls and emails during her personal vacation time. That, in my way of thinking, is going above and beyond the call of duty, which truly speaks to who Sarah is as a professional and as a person. When my case reached a favorable determination on my behalf, Sarah celebrated along with me. I highly recommend Sarah Macgillis as a lawyer. She deserves as many positive reviews as there are stars in the sky!

anonymous
October 12, 2015

Sarah MacGillis is one of the most committed, aggressive, professional and effective attorneys. Sarah is one of the very rare, shining examples of the sort of consummately professional, caring, and thoughtful attorneys should be. Sarah has gone out of her way at every point to clearly communicate and keep me informed. Sarah was amazingly thorough and creative in her search for cases relevant to my own. I found Sarah very capable of keeping me focused on each step of the process which I considered to be quite daunting. Her follow through is to be commended and she always returns phone calls and quickly replies to email. Though Sarah is empathic, her ability to keep the broader perspective in focus for me was extremely helpful. Sarah was a very calming and empowering presence as I went through the legal process that involved very personal aspects of my life. I find Sarah to be that rare combination of kind, hardworking and of unquestionable integrity. I would highly recommend Sarah MacGillis, and I do believe one would be fortunate to engage her services. I am eternally grateful for Sarah MacGillis and for the outcome of my case.

anonymous
January 21, 2020

Sarah represented me in a false allegation of student maltreatment. From the start she supported me by taking control while sharing the direction of the process. She was always responsive when questions arose and many did, given the newness of the situation to me as an educator of 24 years. The case was investigated, I felt strongly supported and the situation was decided in my favor. The calmness, professionalism and care Sarah showed made this process less stressful for my family. Sarah Macgillis has experience working with educators and I would recommend her to any of my teacher colleagues if law service is needed!

anonymous
January 19, 2020

My case was specifically motivated by power, abuse and retribution by administrators that did not care that their negative unfounded actions would destroy an innocent persons career. I was in need of a lawyer who had the depth of understanding required to fight my case and could work with all the nuances affecting my situation. If not my new hard fought professional career was going to end and I would be personally and professionally affected by the consequences for a very long time. I could not be unemployed as a single mother. Sarah was diligent in helping me gather the necessary critical materials and witness/colleague statements to present the solid evidence that I was wrongly accused and there was no evidence of any wrongdoing. Working with Sarah, Justice was Served. It was an emotionally challenging legal situation and Sarah presented herself professionally at all times, and had the emotional capacity to present the facts in the best way possible. When we won the case, I new I had selected the best person to facilitate the job with the best skills and tools to support me in winning. Justice Reigned!!!

anonymous
January 17, 2020

Unfortunately I had to retain a lawyer due to an educational maltreatment charge. Although I felt the charges were negatively motivated by a hostile supervisor, nonetheless I had to seek representation. Ms Sarah Macgillis was the number one referral from friends in the field. I can attest to her willingness to listen, gather all the information, give sound advice, then bring all the components together to advocate on my behalf. Ms Macgillis is tenacious in her representation and defense. She was willing to go the extra mile to make sure everyone had context and accurate facts. I would retain her again without hesitation. She is simple one of the best in the field!

Anonymous
March 29, 2019

I researched for legal representation for a conference meeting with the MN Board of Nursing and discovered Sarah online and it happened to be a good decision. She was well knowledgeable about the processes I was about to embark on. Her techniques, counsel and methods of approaching this conference proved to be accurate and delivered favorable results.

anonymous
March 1, 2018

We hired Sarah when false allegations were brought against me. She was prompt, understanding, knowledgeable, and VERY empathetic with us through entire process. She explained every step before it happened relieving anxiety/stress. Sarah is extremely personable and friendly. She was a good foundation through this emotional situation.

Steph
February 16, 2018

We hired Sarah to represent me when false allegations were made against me. I can't say enough about Sarah's tenacity to clear my name. As I had NEVER been accused of anything before, Sarah talked my husband and I about the steps we needed to take to achieve my innocence. This incident caused me/us great emotional stress. Sarah provided support, understanding and empathy by frequently sending positive and caring emails to help me get through the process. Sarah is an AMAZING attorney who not only cares about your case, she sincerely cares about her clients. I would HIGHLY recommend her to anyone searching for professional representation with a personal touch!

Amy
May 14, 2016

Sarah was wonderful to work with. I was in the position to have to give testimony in a health licensing board investigation. Being concerned and overwhelmed I wanted someone to look out for my best interests. Sarah did exactly that. She was thorough and made sure I understood everything I was involved in. I would definitely recommend hiring Sarah. She is knowledgeable and caring and does not fit into the stereotypical attorney role.

anonymous
February 26, 2016

I retained Sarah for representation when I was called before the BON for allegations made against me. Not only did she advise me on the best defense against the allegations, she also offered me sound legal advice on how to buffer my image and which verbiage I should use and not use before the board. I felt confident, prepared, and emotionally able to handle the outcome of the encounter with the board. With Sarah's help, I was able to get the allegations dismissed. i would strongly recommend her to anyone seeking legal council. She made herself available to me for questions and information at all times, which I greatly appreciated. Sarah made me feel comfortable even though I was being threatened with fairly damaging allegations. She is a open-minded individual and I feel she remains unbiased which is extremely important while seeking representation.

anonymous
October 14, 2015

Sarah Macgillis represented me in a student maltreatment case. It was a very frightening time in my career as an educator. I was stunned and didn't understand what was happening as the school began its investigation. From the very first phone consultation, with Ms. Macgillis, I realized that I was in extremely capable hands. Sarah showed a great deal of compassion as she listened to my story. She let me know that this was an area of expertise, and I was reassured by her knowledge in this area of the law. She did a wonderful job of preparing me for the investigator's interview as she walked me through possible questions that might be asked. She also helped me to keep things in perspective during the six month process. Sarah was always available to discuss my case and answer any questions that I had throughout the process, even to the point where she was willing to receive calls and emails during her personal vacation time. That, in my way of thinking, is going above and beyond the call of duty, which truly speaks to who Sarah is as a professional and as a person. When my case reached a favorable determination on my behalf, Sarah celebrated along with me. I highly recommend Sarah Macgillis as a lawyer. She deserves as many positive reviews as there are stars in the sky!

anonymous
October 12, 2015

Sarah MacGillis is one of the most committed, aggressive, professional and effective attorneys. Sarah is one of the very rare, shining examples of the sort of consummately professional, caring, and thoughtful attorneys should be. Sarah has gone out of her way at every point to clearly communicate and keep me informed. Sarah was amazingly thorough and creative in her search for cases relevant to my own. I found Sarah very capable of keeping me focused on each step of the process which I considered to be quite daunting. Her follow through is to be commended and she always returns phone calls and quickly replies to email. Though Sarah is empathic, her ability to keep the broader perspective in focus for me was extremely helpful. Sarah was a very calming and empowering presence as I went through the legal process that involved very personal aspects of my life. I find Sarah to be that rare combination of kind, hardworking and of unquestionable integrity. I would highly recommend Sarah MacGillis, and I do believe one would be fortunate to engage her services. I am eternally grateful for Sarah MacGillis and for the outcome of my case.