About Sara Stephenson
Sara Stephenson Peska built a path to law from two very different academic disciplines. She arrived at the practice after earning a Bachelor of Science in Molecular and Cellular Biology and a second major in Spanish from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She then pursued a J.D. at Northern Illinois University. The mix of science training and language study has shaped how she reads technical material and how she talks to clients.
Her transition into legal work began soon after law school. Her career includes time at Fishburn Whiton Thruman in 2011. That early experience exposed her to the routines of firm life and to the demands of representing clients inside a law office setting. Colleagues from that period describe a lawyer learning firm-side practice and courtroom procedure in equal measure.
A decade later she joined Mahoney & Mahoney LLC. Records show she began at that firm in 2022 and serves there as a lawyer. At Mahoney & Mahoney she has taken on client matters that require careful legal research, attention to factual detail and steady case management. She is licensed to practice in Illinois and conducts work that arises in the state’s legal system.
Peska’s undergraduate studies in molecular and cellular biology provide a foundation when cases involve technical or scientific issues. Her Spanish language training also plays a practical role. It allows her to communicate directly with Spanish-speaking clients and to interpret documents drafted in Spanish without immediate reliance on a translator. Those two skills intersect in everyday tasks — drafting clear explanations, reviewing technical reports and preparing evidence for hearings.
Peers say she brings a methodical approach to files. She tends to break complex problems into discrete parts, tackle each on its own terms, and then assemble the pieces into a coherent argument. That approach shows in file preparation and in discussions with clients. It also informs how she manages the ebb and flow of litigation and transactional work.
She continues to practice law in Illinois at Mahoney & Mahoney LLC. Her current practice focuses on handling legal matters for clients in the Illinois courts and administrative forums.
