Sarah Gad

Sarah Gad is a founding partner of Gad & Gad Law Offices in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which specializes in criminal defense, wrongful convictions, and immigration advocacy. Sarah is known nationally for her commitment to fighting for justice — and seeing justice prevail in courtrooms across the country.

Before relocating to her home state of Minnesota, Sarah worked for celebrity attorney Kathleen Zellner in Chicago. She played a pivotal role in several high-profile cases, including Mario Casciaro's exoneration and Steven Avery's appeal from the Netflix series Making a Murderer. In 2019. Sarah also represented Lil Durk's brother in a drug-related matter and single handedly got the entire case dismissed on 4th Amendment grounds. In 2019, Sarah received the University of Chicago Humanitarian Award for her work as a law student in uncovering dozens of fake stash houses that exonerated 13 men in Chicago's South Side of Chicago.

That' not all: after being injured in a car crash in 2011, Sarah herself became addicted to the pain medication that she was prescribed. After being criminalized for her addiction, thrown in jail for it, and stigmatized with a "criminal" record, she decided she had no choice but to fight back. She attended the University of Chicago Law School—one of the top law schools int he country—and she now fights for her clients in the exact same courtrooms that she was handcuffed and shackled in years ago—and most importantly, she often prevails.

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Minnesota

Minnesota Supreme Court

ID Number: 0403328

Founding Partner

Gad & Gad Law Offices LLP

2022 - Current

Assistant Attorney

KNN Law Offices

2020 - 2021

Forensics Director; Associate

Law Offices of Kathleen T. Zellner & Associates

2015 - 2019

University of Chicago

J.D. (2020) | Doctor of Law

2017 - 2020

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

B.S. (2009) | Chemistry, Microbiology

2005 - 2009

Honors: Summa Cum Laude Highest Distinction

University of Chicago Humanitarian Award

University of Chicago Law School

2019

Recipient of the 2019 University of Chicago Humanitarian Award for pro bono legal work.

State Bar of Minnesota &nbsp# 0403328

Member

Current

Prisoners are Patients: The Unconstitutionality of Depriving Inmates With Opioid Use Disorder Access to Medication-Assisted Treatment

Prison Legal News

September 20, 2020

Addicts Are Dying in Jail. They don't have to.

Marie Claire Magazine

March 15, 2019

First, Do No Harm? Opioids as an Iatrongenic Epidemic, Tulane Medicine Grand Rounds, New Orleans, LA

April 2019

Tulane University Medical Center

Countering the Global Narcotics Epidemic: The U.S. Counternacotics Strategy, Caucus on International Narcotics Control, Washington, DC

June 2019

Prisoners Eligibility for Pell Grants, Congressional Black Caucus Briefing, Washington, DC

July 2019

Prisoners Are Patients: The Unconstitutionality of Criminalizing the Disease of Addiction, Medical Grand Rounds

November 2019

Virginia Hospital System

Keynote Speaker, National Muslim Law Students Association, Chicago, IL

November 2019

Top Ten Under 40 Defense Attorney

National Academy of Defense Lawyers

2023

Criminal Law Specialist

Minnesota Society for Criminal Justice

2022

Q. Does a shoplifting citation require a court appearance in MN if it's a first offense?

March 23, 2025

A: In Minnesota, even if the citation you received doesn’t list a court date, shoplifting offenses require a court appearance. That court appearance typically comes by way of a summons that will be mailed to you, so it’s important to keep a close eye on your mail in the coming weeks. If you don’t receive anything within 3–4 weeks, it’s a good idea to contact the court or speak with an attorney to check on the status of your case.

Even for first-time offenses, Minnesota law takes theft-related charges seriously. But the good news is that most first-time shoplifting cases resolve favorably, especially with the help of an attorney. Common outcomes include:

(1) Stay of Adjudication where you plead guilty, but the judge doesn’t accept the plea right away. Instead, you're placed on unsupervised probation for one year, and if you successfully complete it, the case is dismissed and never goes on your record as a conviction;

(2) Plea to a Petty Misdemeanor, which, in Minnesota is not considered a crime under the law. It's more like a traffic ticket. This outcome keeps a *criminal* conviction off your record;

(3) Continuance for dismissal – in some counties, prosecutors who recognize the value of second chances will sometimes agree to continue the case for dismissal. That means that there will be no sentence or punishment, and if you stay out of trouble for a set period (usually one year), the case is dropped entirely.

Whatever the resolution, you’ll likely need to pay a fine but will not face jail time as long as you don’t reoffend.

Long story short: Yes, you’ll very likely need to appear in court, but the case will probably resolve quickly and favorably—without jail time—if this is your first offense. Hope this helps! ... Read More

Q. Can law enforcement involve victims in a case, risking our safety?

March 3, 2025

A: They absolutely shouldn't, but they do all the time. Inviting someone who threatened your life to show up during a search warrant at your home is not just reckless—it’s a complete failure of their duty to protect you. Unfortunately, this kind of behavior isn’t as rare as it should be, and it’s a pretty messed-up example of how counterproductive the system can be.

Legally speaking, you might have a case for a civil rights violation under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. When law enforcement knowingly puts you at risk like this, it can be considered a failure to protect or even deliberate indifference to your safety. Plus, this might also violate your 14th Amendment rights to due process and equal protection.

I’d recommend a few things:

1) File a formal complaint with Internal Affairs and maybe even the state’s Department of Public Safety. The more pressure and paper trail you create, the harder it’ll be for them to ignore what happened.

2) Request body cam footage and reports related to the search and the drive-by shooting. Seeing what really went down might help if you decide to take legal action.

3) Think about getting a restraining order if you haven’t already, just to have some legal protection in place.

Honestly, it’s probably worth talking to a civil rights attorney. They can help figure out if you have grounds for a lawsuit against the department for failing to protect you.

4) Keep detailed records of everything—police interactions, threats, incidents—because the more evidence you have, the stronger your case will be.

I get that dealing with law enforcement can feel like fighting an uphill battle, especially when it seems like they’re the ones putting you in danger. But you shouldn’t have to just accept it, which is why I would strongly recommend contacting a civil rights attorney.

I hope this helps. Best of luck. ... Read More

Q. Accused of assault in MN; accuser with multiple restraining orders pressing charges. Next steps?

February 26, 2025

A: Even though you already left a voicemail, do not provide any further statements or explanations to law enforcement. Anything you say can and will be used against you. The officer may seem helpful or neutral, but their job is to investigate a crime—not necessarily to clear you. Instead, consult with a criminal defense attorney immediately before making any further contact with the police and don't make ANY contact with the subject of the restraining order. Even if you want to confront them or defend yourself, any contact could be used against you. The accuser could claim harassment or intimidation, which could make things worse.

Since you have seen video evidence of the accuser pulling knives on others, try to obtain a copy of that video and save any texts, emails, or social media posts that show the accuser’s past behavior. Since the accuser has multiple restraining orders against them and frequently calls the police, it’s worth checking their history. If they have a history of making false accusations, that could be strong evidence in your defense. Gather any witnesses who can testify about the accuser’s history of violence or false accusations.

Get legal representation ASAP. This is the most important step. A lawyer can communicate with the police on your behalf, ensure that you don’t accidentally incriminate yourself, and start building your defense immediately.

I hope this helps. ... Read More