Sarah Rathke is a Chambers-ranked and Crain’s Cleveland Notable Litigator and Trial Lawyer whose practice focuses on complex and high-value disputes in courts and tribunals throughout the US. Sarah has served as first-chair trial counsel in numerous disputes across industry sectors, and is frequently recognized for her courtroom skills.

In 2023, Sarah was profiled in Authority Magazine’s “Top Lawyers” series and included in 2023’s Top 100 Attorneys Magazine. In 2022, she was selected by The American Lawyer as a “Midwest Trailblazer” for her work in supply chain litigation. Since 2015, she has been recognized as a Future Star by Benchmark Litigation. In 2012, she was one of three lawyers nationwide appointed to the National Institute for Trial Advocacy’s (NITA) Next Generation Faculty. She has written and lectured extensively about trial practice, including for NITA, the Northeast Ohio Federal Bar Association Trial Academy and the Cleveland State University College of Law trial advocacy curriculum. Her article, “A BigLaw Ladies’ Guide to Becoming a 1st-Chair Trial Lawyer,” was awarded a 2018 Burton Award for Distinguished Writing.

Sarah also maintains a globally recognized supply chain practice that encompasses not only litigation, but also transactional and regulatory issues across industries, including automotive, aerospace, food, medical, construction and office products. She is the co-author of the 2016 book Legal Blacksmith: How to Avoid and Defend Supply Chain Disputes, which has been identified by RateLinx as among the “Must-Read Supply Chain Books Worth a Look” and reviewed as “very impressive” by Spend Matters. Sarah has been extensively quoted and published on supply chain topics, including in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, Reuters and Bloomberg, and she is a frequent lecturer and speaker on supply chain issues. She is the founder and editor of the Global Supply Chain Law Blog, which maintains an extensive readership across industry sectors, and co-chairs the firm’s Supply Chain Compliance ESG focus area.

Finally, Sarah is the US co-lead of our Sports & Entertainment Group. Sarah has long served as legal counsel to NBA star LeBron James with regard to his sports, entertainment and other business and charitable endeavors, including the well-publicized work of the LeBron James Family Foundation, a not-for-profit entity that serves more than 1,400 Akron-area students by providing them with the programs, support and mentors they need to succeed in school and beyond. Sarah has a number of other interesting clients involved in publishing and fashion as well.

• First chair representation of startup women’s fashion brand that transitioned operations during COVID to supply medical gowns to New York State; successfully defended client in $15 million claim asserted by the State, and recovered $8 million for the client in unpaid State invoices (2025)
• First chair federal jury trial in W.D. Wisconsin, representing automobile manufacturer/distributor in a case brought by a dealership arising from the US$120 million sale of the plaintiff’s dealership group and the client’s national incentive program resulting in a complete jury verdict in the client’s favor (2024).
• First chair jury trial representation of a nationwide moving and rental company in a fatality case alleging negligence and vicarious liability, resulting in full dismissal and termination of trial court proceedings against client after first week of trial in Lorain County, Ohio (2023).
• First chair Ohio Board of Education hearing representation of a pro bono client whose teaching license was terminated, resulting in full reversal by the Ohio Board of Education (2023)
• First chair jury trial representation of one of America’s largest privately owned corporations in a lawsuit alleging improper maintenance of its private air fleet and defending against a defamation counterclaim in federal court in Madison, Wisconsin, resulting in full jury verdict for client (2021).
• First chair representation of a New York tech and fashion company in parallel lawsuits against the State of New York alleging non-payment for PPE provided during the pandemic and defending against the state’s counterclaim for improper provision of goods, resulting in a Court of Claims summary judgment ruling in the client’s favor on interpretation of the state’s contract provisions (damages portion of case ongoing) (2022)
• First chair trial representation of a direct selling company in a lawsuit alleging breach of contract asserted by a digital marketing services company in a bench trial in federal court in San Francisco, California, resulting in a bench trial verdict for the client (2020).First chair in AAA arbitration representing a municipal services provider against a breach of contract claim asserted by a former co-provider in Houston, Texas, resulting only in a nominal damages award (US$10,000) against the client following a full evidentiary hearing (2019)
• First chair in successive bench and jury trials representing an Ohio park district against landowners claiming ownership to, and adverse possession of, land parcels slated for parkland development in Canton, Ohio, resulting in full bench and jury verdicts for the client (2017). Verdicts were upheld on appeal.
• Second chair in a bellwether jury trial in defense of a chemicals manufacturer as part of multi-district litigation involving alleged toxic exposure in air and drinking water in federal court in Columbus, Ohio. A global settlement was reached during the fourth week of trial (2017)
• First chair in a jury trial concerning ownership and contractual rights to mining industry invention and technology on behalf of a multinational provider of technology products and services in federal court in San Jose, California, resulting in a full jury verdict for the client (2015)
• First chair in a three-member AAA arbitration in a four-week hearing representing an aircraft engine component supplier against a customer asserting defective design and engineering, claiming US$500 million in damages in Detroit, Michigan. The case was settled favorably at the end of the hearing (2013-2014)
• Co-lead in an advisory jury trial in federal court in Cleveland, Ohio, on behalf of a bank holding company against an FDIC assertion that the client agreed to pay in excess of US$500 million in losses of a subsidiary bank, resulting in a total jury verdict and a subsequent bench ruling for the client (2011).
• First chair representation of a global manufacturing services company in litigation pending in federal court in Chicago, Illinois, against a plaintiff asserting improper engineering and manufacturing services. The case was resolved after a summary judgment opinion dismissing most claims and a subsequent opinion excluding the plaintiff’s expert witness (2022)
• Second chair in a jury trial on behalf of the LeBron James family against a local businessman alleging rights to James’s career as a sports agent in Akron, Ohio, resulting in a jury verdict for the clients (2005).

Credentials

Education

• University of Michigan, J.D., 2001
• Georgetown University, B.A., 1998

Admissions

• New York
• Ohio

Courts

• U.S. Dist. Ct., E. Dist. of New York
• U.S. Dist. Ct., S. Dist. of New York
• U.S. Dist. Ct., N. Dist. of Illinois (General Bar and Trial Bar)
• U.S. Dist. Ct., W. Dist. of Wisconsin
• U.S. Dist. Ct., S. Dist. of Ohio
• U.S. Dist. Ct., N. Dist. of Ohio

Recognitions

• Recognized in Chambers USA, Litigation: General Commercial
• Recognized by Crain’s Cleveland Business as a Notable Litigator & Trial Attorney
• Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America 2024-2026 for Commercial Litigation
• Recognized by Lawyer Monthly Legal Awards, 2024
• Recognized by Lexology Client Choice Awards, 2024 and 2025
• Recognized by Lexology, Product Liability Defence in USA Ohio Award, Client Choice Awards, 2024 and 2025
• Recognized in Lawyer Monthly, Women in Law Awards, 2024
• Recognized by Women We Admire, Top Women Leaders in Law, 2024
• Thompson Reuters Client Nominated Stand-Out Lawyer, 2022 and 2023