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    Sarah F. King

    Partner
    Sarah F. King
    About Sarah

    Sarah F. King is one of Chicago’s rising medical malpractice lawyers at the firm and one of the most hard-working, intelligent attorneys one can find. She works tirelessly to investigate and prepare complex medical malpractice cases to achieve justice for those who have been harmed by medical negligence. She works with dedication and tenacity to get to the bottom of what actually happened and what proper practices should have been used to prevent injuries related to medical care. It is this passion that makes her one of today’s top Chicago medical malpractice lawyers.

    Sarah has had substantial trial experience as an attorney of record in many of the firm’s trials. In less than a decade, Sarah F. King has received verdicts and settlements totaling nearly $300 million. For example, Sarah second-chaired a trial with partner Bradley Cosgrove in a two-week trial involving the negligent prescription of Yasmin that gained international attention. A 37-year-old woman took the medication for less than two weeks and suffered a debilitating stroke. The jury awarded her $13.55 million in March 2014. Sarah also tried a case alongside partner Keith Hebeisen, leader of the medical malpractice team at Clifford Law Offices, in November 2013 that involved the wrongful death of a 33-year-old mother who sustained a massive hemorrhage during a c-section. Following a three-week trial, the jury returned a verdict of $15.55 million for the family. In January 2013, Sarah tried another case with Hebeisen and obtained a $2.225 million verdict for the wrongful death of a 31-week fetus.

    In 2019, Sarah obtained a record $101 million verdict on behalf of a baby boy who was brain damaged at birth when his external fetal monitoring strips were ignored for six hours. Experts on behalf of the plaintiff testified that he would have been born a normal baby if hospital nurses and other medical personnel would have alerted doctors to the abnormalities and performed an emergency C-section.

    While she was a full-time law student, Sarah served as a law clerk to Keith Hebeisen and Susan Capra. Having been mentored by two of the most respected and recognized medical malpractice lawyers in the state, Sarah understands what it takes to bring such complicated cases to trial, works up cases through analyzing the medical records, preparation of meticulous court pleadings, working with medical experts, and preparing her clients for every step of the litigation process. She has developed the highest level of skills as a Chicago medical malpractice attorney.

    Sarah graduated from DePaul University College of Law summa cum laude as a member of the top 5% of her class and was inducted into the Order of the Coif. She was a published member of the DePaul Law Review on post-death maintenance obligations and life insurance. She has published several articles, some of which have been published in national publications such as the highly regarded American Bar Association Litigation Journal. Sarah has also been recognized for her writing skills in law school, having received the CALI Award for Excellence in Trial Advocacy II, Legal Writing III, and Commercial Paper. Sarah completed her undergraduate studies at Loyola University of Chicago where she received her Bachelor of Arts in English and Women’s Studies.

    Sarah has been involved in Women Everywhere: Partners in Service Project, which is a collaborative effort, coordinating volunteer activities to help women and children through Chicago, www.weChicago.org. She serves as First Vice President of the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois (WBAI), is active in the Illinois Trial Lawyer’s Association, and also devotes time to teach a course on Medical Malpractice as an adjunct professor at her alma mater, DePaul University College of Law.

    In 2024, she was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to the Supreme Court Committee on Character and Fitness. The Committee was created in 1971 under Rule 708 and reviews applications of those seeking Illinois law licenses to determine whether each person “demonstrates whether each applicant presently possesses good moral character and general fitness for admission to the practice of law.”

    Clifford Law Offices is proud to have Sarah King as part of its Chicago medical malpractice lawyer team as are the clients for whom she works.

    Areas of Practice
    • Medical Devices and Pharmaceutical Litigation
    • Medical Malpractice and Hospital Negligence
    • Personal Injury
    • Wrongful Death
    Bar Admissions
    • U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois
    • Illinois, 2011
    Education
    • DePaul University College of Law, Chicago, Illinois – 2011
      • Honors: summa cum laude
      • Honors: Order of the Coif
      • Honors: DePaul Law Review
      • Honors: Dean’s List
      • Honors: Class Rank: Top 5%
      • Honors: CALI Award Recipient, Trial Advocacy II, Spring 2011
      • Honors: CALI Award Recipient, Commercial Paper, Spring 2011
      • Honors: CALI Award Recipient, Legal Analysis III, Fall 2009
      • Honors: Intramural Winner, ABA Client Counseling Competition, 2009
      • Honors: Alumnae Relations Coordinator, Women’s Law Caucus, 2009-2010
    • Loyola University Chicago
      • B.A. – 2008
      • Honors: English Honor’s & Dean’s List
      • Honors: Vice President, Alpha Sigma Alpha, 2007-2008
      • Honors: President, Panhellenic Council, 2006-2007
      • Major: English and Women’s Studies
      • Minor: Political Science
    Published Works
    • When Jurors Ask Questions, Litigation Journal, American Bar Association, Winter 2015
    • Medical Malpractice Trial Notebook, Co-Editor, 2014-Present
    • Res Ipsa Loquitor, Medical Malpractice Trial Notebook, Chapter 12, Author 2014
    • The Power of Informed Consent, Trial Journal, Summer 2013 (with Keith A. Hebeisen)
    • A Storyteller’s Apprentice, Litigation Journal, American Bar Association, Summer 2013
    • Illinois Supreme Court Determines Allegations of Actual and Apparent Agency Are Not Separate Causes of Action for Purposes of Res Judicata, WBAI Newsletter, Spring 2013
    • Women’s Preventative Services and The Affordable Care Act, WBAI Newsletter, Winter 2012
    • The Privacy of a Mother’s Medical Information: A Correct Reading of El-Amin v. Dempsey Trial Journal, Summer 2012 (with Keith A. Hebeisen)
    • Till’ Death Do Us Part or Otherwise Approved By the Court?: Interpreting the Language of §510(c) Regarding Post-Death Maintenance Obligations and Life Insurance, 60 DePaul L. Rev. 713 (2011)
    • Medical Malpractice Trial Notebook, Research Assistant, 2010-2013
    • What is Your Favorite Book? : Using Narrative to Teach Theme Development in Persuasive Writing, Mary Ann Becker, 46 Gonz. L. Rev. 575, Research Assistant 2010-2011
    Representative Cases
    • Fitzgerald v. Ingalls Memorial Hospital (October 2016) $2,500,000 Settlement
    • Vandelinder v. Northwestern Memorial Hospital (August 2016) $3,300,000 Verdict
    • Harper v. Ingalls Memorial Hospital (March 2016) $3,949,999 Settlement
    • Buhs v. Gibson Community Hospital (December 2015) $950,000 Verdict (Ford County Record)
    • Clemente v. Elmhurst Memorial Hospital (August 2015) $5,000,000 Settlement
    • Cohen v. Rush Medical Center (March 2015) $1,820,000 Settle
    • Zapalski v. Aniol, M.D (March 2014) $13,550,000 Verdict
    • Lopez v. University of Chicago (November 2013) $15,550,000 Verdict
    • Novak v. Hinsdale Hospital (January 2013) $2,225,000 Verdict
    Classes/Seminars
    • Adjunct Professor, DePaul University School of Law, “Medical Malpractice Survey” Fall 2014
    Honors and Awards
    • Selected to Illinois Super Lawyers® list, 2023 – Present
    • Best Lawyers® in America, 2021 – Present
    • Chicago Daily Law Bulletin & Chicago Lawyer Women in Law Honoree, 2020
    • Illinois Super Lawyers® Rising Star, 2016 – 2022
    • Emerging Lawyer, Law Bulletin Media, 2017 – 2020
    • Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA) Amicus Volunteer Award, 2019
    • Most Influential Women Lawyers in Chicago, Crain’s Custom Media, 2017
    • Chicago Law Bulletin’s Forty Under 40, 2015
    • Law Bulletin 40 Under 40, 2015
    Professional Associations and Memberships
    • Illinois Supreme Court, Character and Fitness Committee, 2024
    • Women’s Bar Association (WBAI), First Vice President, 2023 – 2024
    • American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), Member, 2020
    • Women’s Bar Association (WBAI), Board of Directors, 2018
    • Women’s Bar Association (WBAI), Top Women Lawyers in Leadership Awards, Co-Chair, 2018
    • Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA), Assembly Member, May 2016-Present
    • Women’s Bar Association (WBAI), Newsletter, Legal Developments Section Editor, June 2012-2014, June 2016-Present
    • Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA), Board of Managers, 2015- Present
    • Women’s Bar Association of Illinois (WBAI), Judicial Reception Planning Committee, 2014-2015
    • Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA), Women Everywhere, Planning Committee Delegate, 2013-Present
    • Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA), Young Lawyer’s Division, 2012-Present
    • Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA)
    • Women’s Bar Association (WBAI)
    • American Association for Justice (AAJ)
    • Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA)
    • Chicago Bar Association (CBA)
    • American Bar Association (ABA)
    • Co-Chair ITLA Women’s Caucus, 2017-Present
    • Young Lawyer’s Division, 2012-Present
    • Asst. Editor Medical Malpractice Trial Notebook, 2014-Present
    • Women’s Bar Association of Illinois, Annual Dinner Committee, Newsletter, Legal Developments Section
    Past Employment Positions
    • Clifford Law Offices, Chicago, IL, Law Clerk, 2009 – 2011
    • Law Offices of Alan D. Hoffenberg, Chicago, IL, Law Clerk, 2009
    Pro Bono Activities
    • Women’s Bar Association (WBAI), Lawyer-to-Lawyer Mentorship, 2016-Present
    • Woman Everywhere: Partners in Service Project (“WE”), Planning Committee Co-Chair, 2014 – Present
    • Woman Everywhere: Partners in Service Project (“WE”), Fundraising Chair, 2013-2014
    • Woman Everywhere: Partners in Service Project (“WE”), ITLA Delegate, 2012 – Present
    • Women Everywhere Partners in Service Project, Board Member (2016-present), Planning Committee Chair, 2014-present
    Sarah F. King
    About Sarah
    Awards and Recognition
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