In an unconventional start to a groundbreaking legal career, Sarah Schielke began her journey with a simple Craigslist advertisement offering discounted legal services in Colorado. After graduating from Boston University School of Law in 2008 and seeking a fresh beginning, she discovered an unexpected path to building her practice. The response to her ad provided rapid experience, leading to the establishment of the Life and Liberty Law Office in 2012.
Schielke has revolutionized civil rights litigation by publicly releasing body camera footage from police encounters. This strategy proved pivotal in the Karen Garner case, where she represented a woman with dementia who suffered injuries during a Loveland police arrest. The release of the footage in April 2021 sparked national attention. It resulted in criminal charges against two officers: Austin Hopp, who received five years in prison, and Daria Jalali, who served 45 days in jail with three years probation. The case settled for $3 million, dramatically exceeding the typical $100,000 settlement for similar cases.
Her latest challenge involves five lawsuits against Fort Collins Police Services, targeting alleged wrongful DUI arrests by former officer Jason Haferman. The cases reveal a disturbing pattern: more than 17 people were wrongfully arrested in one year, all later proven innocent through blood tests. The consequences for these victims were severe – lost jobs, missed promotions, emotional trauma, and, in some cases, unwarranted child abuse investigations when children were present during arrests.
The investigation exposed significant departmental oversight failures. Supervisors never reviewed Haferman’s body camera footage despite his pattern of disabling or muting the camera in violation of Colorado law. When confronted with these issues, department leadership defended the arrests rather than addressing the underlying problems, leading Schielke to call for the chief’s resignation.
Personal tragedy has shaped Schielke’s approach to justice. The loss of her father to cancer early in her career transformed her perspective, leading to her guiding principle that there are “two types of people: good people and good people in pain.” This understanding informs her approach to both advocacy and life.
Her academic excellence began at Middlebury College, where she graduated magna cum laude with a psychology degree before attending law school on a full academic merit scholarship. These achievements laid the foundation for her success, which was recognized by her selection as USA TODAY’s Women of the Year honoree for Colorado.
One of her proudest moments came from standing firm against judicial pressure in Clear Creek County, where she faced contempt charges for releasing body camera footage of a police tasing incident. Despite the risks, she remained committed to transparency, ensuring a record-breaking $7 million settlement for her client.
For Schielke, courage means addressing wrongs despite powerful opposition. She emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and seeking guidance from experienced colleagues when facing challenges. Her success is supported by a solid personal foundation, including her husband, who manages their home life as a stay-at-home father to their children.
Through her innovative legal strategies and unwavering commitment to transparency, Schielke continues transforming civil rights litigation in Colorado. Her work secures justice for individual clients and drives systematic change in law enforcement accountability. By challenging traditional power structures while maintaining authenticity, she demonstrates how dedication to justice and innovative thinking can reshape the legal landscape and create lasting change in civil rights advocacy.
