Sara Elizabeth Tonnesen

Sara Tonnesen is an Associate in the Washington, DC office of Sanford Heisler, LLP. Before joining Sanford Heisler, Ms. Tonnesen worked at the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia in the Public Interest Division. At the DC OAG, Ms. Tonnesen represented the District in a variety of matters including a special education class action and an employment discrimination case. Ms. Tonnesen also spent time at the ACLU of Maryland, where she focused on juvenile justice issues. While in law school, Ms. Tonnesen participated in the Georgetown Law Community Justice Clinic, where she represented clients in unemployment appeals hearings and completed an advocacy project focused on the issue of tenants’ rights in bank-owned properties after foreclosure. Ms. Tonnesen was awarded the International Academy of Trial Lawyers 2013 Student Advocacy Award for her work in the clinic. During law school, she also worked as a law clerk at several public interest organizations, such as the Laborers’ Union, the ACLU Prison Project, the US Office of Special Counsel, and Relman, Dane & Colfax, a civil rights  law firm.