Sarah Anne Thompson

Sarah A. Thompson joined Ryther Law Group in 2022, bringing substantial litigation skills and experience from her work in family law. She became a Partner in 2024.

Sarah grew up in Orange County, California and attended Villanova University, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a major in Sociology and minors in French and Political Science in 2012.

She earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of San Francisco School of Law (“USF”), graduating with honors in 2015, and earning numerous merit awards, including awards in Administrative Law, Family Law, and Evidence. She was admitted to the California Bar in 2015. At USF, Sarah obtained a certificate in Public Interest Law, in part due to her volunteer work with the San Francisco SPCA. All of her legal internships focused on public interest, including internships with Legal Advocates for Children and Youth, the Dependency Team with the Office of the City Attorney of San Francisco, and USF’s Criminal Law Clinic. During law school, Sarah also participated in the Intensive Advocacy Program where she learned essential trial skills from premier litigators and judges from across the county.

Before joining the firm, Sarah practiced family law for five years in both San Francisco and Los Angeles. Sarah also taught Legal Drafting as an adjunct faculty member at USF for two years. Sarah came to the firm with significant courtroom and trial experience, including in domestic violence restraining order matters. (In fact, as a certified law clerk, Sarah won her first two trials while still in law school.)

Additionally, Sarah has been selected as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers for seven years in a row (2020 through 2026), an independent, peer-ranking board established by Los Angeles Magazine, and she has been a frequent contributor to legal journals. For instance, the Los Angeles Daily Journal published a few of Sarah’s articles, including “Supplemental Discovery Requests: An underused tool in an era of delay” in 2020. Sarah and Jill published “Untangling Pet Custody in Ownership Disputes” together in 2025 in the ABA’s GP Solo. More recently, Sarah and Jill wrote an article related to the Trump Administration’s lawsuit against California related to animal welfare laws surrounding egg laying chickens, entitled, “Trump’s egg price lawsuit against California cracks under scrutiny”, published by the Daily Journal.

Since joining the firm, Sarah has been lead attorney in many trials and administrative hearings, including four in which she successfully prevented the euthanasia of our client’s canine companions after bite incidents, multiple successful domestic violence restraining order trials, and small claims appeals. In August 2023, Sarah won punitive damages and emotional distress damages after a three-week jury trial in a veterinary malpractice matter, an exceptionally rare result.

Sarah has also appeared on radio, news, and YouTube interviews concerning animal rights and her various cases. In 2024, Sarah was instrumental in securing the safe release of 29 wolf dogs from the City of Barstow and Shasta County.

Sarah is a member of the American Bar Association, Los Angeles County Bar Association, Beverly Hills Bar Association, and Riverside County Bar Association. And, in 2025, Sarah graduated Summa Cum Laude with an LLM (a Masters in Law) in Animal Law from Lewis & Clark Law School.

Sarah enjoys yoga, cooking (as a proud vegan), wine tasting, and travel, as well as hiking with her three rescue wolf dogs – Roku, Rhea, and Attis. Sarah also supports various animal rescues. Having a special affinity for wolf dogs, she volunteers with Apex Protection Project, including sponsoring a wolf dog yearly, assisting with legal issues, and reviewing foster, adoption, and surrender applications. Sarah and her husband have just opened an animal advocacy and sanctuary nonprofit organization, Red Wolf Rescue. Finally, Sarah works as a rescue partner, attorney, and board member with Expand Animal Rights Now.