Sarah Gad
| Sarah Gad | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1991 |
| Occupation | lawyer |
| Known for | leaving drug addiction behind and becoming a lawyer |
Sarah Gad is an Egyptian-American lawyer.[1] Gad became addicted to drugs, after an injury, while she was a pre-med student, and ended up in prison. While in jail she started to become a lawyer, and is now known as a crusading lawyer who works on behalf of the incarcerated.[2]
Gad had seven drug-related convictions.[2] While she spent time in jail, awaiting trial, or awaiting hearings, she avoided actual prison sentences. During one period in the notorious Cook County Jail Gad was stabbed, raped, and ended up in solitary confinement.[3] She used her $380,000 settlement to finance her studies at law school.
Gad earned her law degree, and started practicing law, in 2022.[4] She plans to compete in the Democratic Primary for the Congressional seat currently held by Ilhan Omar.[3][5][6]
An often repeated anecdote about Gad concerns a 2022 meeting with Toddrick Barnette, a judge who knew her only as a suspect he had convicted, in the early 2010s, when she introduced herself to him in a courthouse hallway, and informed him she was now a practicing lawyer.[7]
References
- ↑ Karen Scullin. From jail to practicing law, Minnesota attorney scores big win, Fox 9, 2023-07-30. Retrieved on 2023-11-11. “Gad graduated in 2020 and received her license to practice law in August 2022. Her experiences with the criminal justice system, jails, and addiction have all led to this point. The day Richardson's case was dropped, she ran into a judge she knew from her old life.”
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Andy Corbley. Narrowly Avoiding Prison by Judge’s Leniency, She Turned Her Life Around to Win Case as a Lawyer in His Courtroom, Good News Network, 2023-08-10. Retrieved on 2023-12-01. “'There’s a mandatory minimum for repeat drug offenders, and she is a serial recidivist who cannot be rehabilitated,' Gad recounted someone saying. “But the judge is like, 'Well, she did say she got into law school, like, I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt.'”
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hunter Woodall, Kim Hyatt. Minneapolis attorney is first to launch 2024 DFL primary run against Rep. Omar, Minneapolis Star Tribune, 2023-08-15. Retrieved on 2023-12-01. “She won a $380,000 settlement after suing the Cook County jail for sexual assault. Attorney Kathleen Zellner, who had represented Steven Avery, the subject of the hit Netflix documentary 'Making a Murderer,' took her case and gave Gad a job. The settlement helped Gad pay for law school, which she attended with an ankle monitor, graduating in 2020 from the University of Chicago.”
- ↑ Minnesota Attorney and Congressional Candidate Sarah Gad Unveils Detailed Plan to Bring Real Change to the 5th District, KRON 4, 2023-09-18. Retrieved on 2023-11-11.
- ↑ Nicholas Wu. Attorney Sarah Gad is officially ramping up a primary campaign against Ilhan Omar, Politico, 2023-11-13. Retrieved on 2023-12-01. “'I think that one of the big things about my candidacy is my relatability to a lot of my constituents. I've lived through adversity that is very common in our district,' Gad said in an interview.”
- ↑ Karla Hult. Twin Cities attorney Sarah Gad to challenge Rep. Ilhan Omar for 5th District seat, Twin City Pioneer, 2023-08-16. Retrieved on 2023-12-01.
- ↑ Sydney Page. She was a felon who was addicted to drugs. Then she became a lawyer., Washington Post, 2023-08-16. Retrieved on 2023-12-01. “As Gad told Barnette how her life had unfolded since their last encounter, 'he was shocked, to say the least,' said Gad, 36. 'It took a moment for him to register that I was both a defendant in his courtroom all those years ago, and that I was now a practicing attorney in his courthouse.'”