Sarah Raisch

Sarah M. Raisch is a Partner at Romanucci & Blandin and handles cases on the Medical Malpractice, Civil Rights & Police Misconduct and Sexual Abuse & Hazing teams. Her extensive background as a public defender has provided her with unique tools and insights in advocating for individuals impacted by the criminal justice system, particularly in cases involving police misconduct. Sarah also helps clients seeking justice for issues they face in the healthcare system, assisting them in situations that include, but are not limited to, birth injuries, medical malpractice and other forms of medical harm. She is a passionate advocate for fairness, dignity, and human rights in the legal system. Sarah proudly represents survivors of sexual abuse, especially in institutional settings such as schools, healthcare facilities and hospitals, and correctional facilities. In 2025, she was one of the lead trial attorneys on the trial team that secured a $15 million verdict against a Chicago-area high school district for failing to protect a male student from sexual abuse by a female teacher. Sarah was also a key contributor to a pro bono Hague Convention case that allowed a mother to remain safely in the United States with her child. She has also represented victims of mass shootings, including those harmed or killed in Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, and at Old National Bank in Louisville, Kentucky. In April of 2025, Sarah was appointed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker to serve as a member of the Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission (TIRC). She is one of 16 members of the Commission, which is committed to fairly and accurately investigating claims that torture was used to obtain confessions leading to criminal convictions and, where warranted, providing those claimants a means of relief. Previously, Sarah worked with the firm's Mass Torts & Class Action team. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois appointed her to serve on the Leadership Development Committee for In re: Hair Relaxer Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3060, Case No. 1:23-cv-818 (Northern District of IL) where she represented women who have used chemical hair straightening products and subsequently developed uterine, endometrial, and ovarian cancer. Before Romanucci & Blandin, Sarah spent a decade with the Office of the Lake County Public Defender, building up a meaningful history of trial experience, including taking 20 cases to jury verdict. She zealously defended clients facing both misdemeanor and serious felony charges and challenged the prosecution and law enforcement when they violated her clients' constitutional rights through unlawful search and seizures, illegal warrants, or coerced confessions. Sarah was responsible for a sophisticated caseload in both quantity and complexity of clientele, including clients facing poverty, mental health challenges, substance abuse, lack of childcare and familial stability, and employment barriers. Before her time as a public defender, Sarah represented adult and juvenile clients in criminal trials and appellate matters at a small criminal defense firm in Racine, WI. Sarah enjoys participating in triathlons and completed the 140.6-mile Wisconsin Ironman in 2019. She is a mother of twins and spends her free time planning and enjoying travel with her friends and family, as well as engaging in long-distance running and cooking a gluten-free diet. She is a proud "Double-Badger," having attended the University of Wisconsin for college and law school.