Sarah Rathke, partner in the Cleveland, Ohio office, is a trial lawyer who has argued and tried cases in state and federal courts around the country and before international tribunals. Her practice focuses on commercial and civil matters, product liability defense and international dispute resolution – and especially on taking such cases to trial, when appropriate. She has represented sovereign governments and national and multinational corporations in forums throughout the US and globally.

Sarah has litigated a broad variety of cases for a diverse group of clients. Her skills include the ability to present complicated business, financial and scientific concepts to juries. Her trial victories include the representation of NBA star LeBron James in a breach of contract action, the representation of a savings and loan company in a US$500 million action asserted by the FDIC, defending a business partner in a dispute with other partners that resulted in an affirmative counterclaim win for the client, as well as others. Recently, Sarah was retained as substitute trial counsel four months before trial by a financial institution seeking to enforce surety bonds investment guarantees. That case was then settled favorably shortly before trial.

Sarah has also successfully litigated a variety of non-jury trials, arbitrations and hearings. Selected experiences of this sort include representing the Republic of Ecuador and the Czech Republic in bilateral investment treaty proceedings before tribunals constituted under the auspices of the World Bank and representing corporations in private, commercial arbitration proceedings.

Sarah has disposed of numerous cases favorably prior to trial as well including through successful pre-trial motions – particularly in products liability and consumer class action matters – and through favorable settlements.

Sarah has been recognized as a Rising Star in five out of the last seven editions of Ohio Super Lawyers magazine, naming her one of the top 2.5 percent of Ohio lawyers age 40 or under or in practice for 10 years or less. In 2012 she was also one of three lawyers nationwide appointed to the National Institute for Trial Advocacy’s (NITA) Next Generation Faculty. Sarah has lectured on trial advocacy at the Cleveland Marshall School of Law.

Articles and Publications

• Author, “Serving Non-US Civil Defendants With Process; There May be An Easier Way,” Cleveland Bar Journal, November 2007.
• Co-author, “Presenting Bankruptcy Concepts To Juries,” The Bankruptcy Strategist, October 2011.