Sarah Martha Macgillis

As a former investigator I have had the experience of working with many attorneys. Sarah represented the people I was investigating so we were in opposition of each other. I found Sarah to be extremely knowledgeable of her clients cases to the point where she seemed to have as much, if not more, in...formation on the case than me. Sarah always knew the laws we were dealing with and made her clients feel at ease during our interviews, which I am sure were very stressful for them. Sarah always treated me with respect while pushing for a speedy disposition. Sarah clearly has her clients best interests at heart. She is intelligent, compassionate and works hard for her clients. If I ever needed an attorney, she would be the first person I would call.

I am an experienced teacher who has taught for many years with no problems or mistakes. This past year I made a mistake of completely forgetting about a student that I had placed in a quiet setting to work on an assignment. This happened before a lunch/recess break and I did not realize my forgetfu...lness until after returning to the classroom. I immediately realized my mistake, apologized to the student and the student's parents, and took full responsibility for this mistake. What happened next to me was a 6 month nightmare. I was accused of purposely punishing and abandoning the student, suspended without pay for 5 days, and accused of numerous undocumented teaching flaws and omissions by my principal who I had numerous union contract issues with me and many other teachers. I was the union rep for our school for many years. I admitted my mistake and I was really taken back by the aggressive attack on me by the administration and then by the MDE investigator. Sarah Macgillis was the union provided lawyer who was excellent in preparing me for the MDE interview. She knew the child neglect law well and stressed points where previous principal generated reports had negatively affected the severity of my mistake. I felt I was well prepared for my MDE interview. Sarah Macgillis continued to fight for me after the MDE interview and was prepare to make an appeal if the investigator's ruling was that I purposely neglected a student. The outcome was that I did not purposely neglect a student. After negotiations between my union and the district, 4 days of pay were returned to me. One day of lost pay is a punishment that is more just for a mistake I made while trying to help a student learn by completing an assignment in a quiet place. Thanks again Sarah!

Sarah represented me for a case with the board of nursing. She is very familiar with the board and knows exactly what occurs during the actual conference. She was very thorough and kept me informed every step of the way. She explained to me exactly what I would see, hear and experience and was right ...by my side during the conference providing me support and would step in when I would lose my thought process.