2023 Up & Coming Attorneys: Sarah J. Hewitt

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Henson & Efron P.A.

Atticus Finch, thanks again. Henson Efron associate Sarah Hewitt is yet another attorney whose imagination was fired by the “To Kill a Mockingbird” protagonist.

“Even though I didn’t end up practicing criminal defense, I’m one of the countless attorneys who started down the path to law after the story resonated,” said Hewitt. “It’s a classic for a reason.”

In fact, Hewitt practices family law, understanding her role in preparing and guiding clients through the family court process while being a source of empathy and strategy. Her experience clerking in Hennepin Family Court gave her valuable insight into family law from a judge’s perspective. Almost every day for more than two years she attended all types of hearings and trials, consulting with the judge afterwards and drafting court orders.

At Henson, she uses that experience to advise clients about what they can expect from the family court process, how the judge is likely to view their case and the most effective path to achieving their goals.

Family law first caught Hewitt’s eye when she took the University of Minnesota School of Law’s civil practice clinic, where supervising attorneys Jean Sanderson and Judge Laura Thomas helped her learn to handle dissolution cases.

“After law school, I spent about four years handling business and commercial litigation, but I continued to take dissolution and custody cases on a pro bono basis,” she said. “The family law cases were always my most interesting and satisfying work, so eventually I made the jump to full-time family law.”

Her practice is focused exclusively on family law, including domestic abuse (Order for Protection) cases and motions, as well as divorce, alternative dispute resolution, custody and support, spousal maintenance, and property division.

That includes a number of cases she’s taken on pro bono. “I still smile when I think of her,” she said of one especially grateful client.