About Sarah E.
Sarah E. Welch completed undergraduate studies at Ohio University in 2011 and earned her J.D. from The University of Chicago Law School in 2016. Her academic record prepared her for a trajectory that moved quickly into appellate and federal work. Early roles combined clerking, public service and positions in private firms, giving her exposure to several sides of the legal process.
After law school, Welch took a position as a legal assistant at Mollica Gall Sloan & Sillery Co. LPA in 2016. She then joined the Ohio Attorney General’s Office as a summer law clerk in the Appeals Section in 2017. That experience placed her in the daily work of appellate briefing and oral-argument preparation at the state level. In 2018 she spent summers at Williams & Connolly LLP and Susman Godfrey LLP and served as an intern in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Policy. Those roles expanded her exposure to complex civil litigation and federal policy work.
In 2019 Welch served as a Phillips Fellow in the Office of the Solicitor General at the U.S. Department of Justice. The fellowship is known for involving detailed appellate work for the federal government. In the same year she also worked as a law clerk to the Honorable Jeffrey S. Sutton, a federal appellate judge. The clerkship added an inside perspective on judicial decisionmaking in the appellate courts.
Earlier in her life Welch contributed to her local community as student faculty at the Athens Community Music School in 2012. That role is distinct from her later legal positions but reflects an early pattern of taking responsibility in small institutions and educational settings.
Taken together, Welch’s resume emphasizes appellate practice and federal-government experience. Her time in state and federal offices, coupled with stints at national litigation boutiques, gives her familiarity with appellate briefing, case strategy and the procedural demands of high-stakes appeals. The sequence of roles also suggests comfort operating in both the public sector and private firms.
As of 2026 Welch is admitted to practice in Ohio and continues to pursue work in appellate litigation and federal appellate matters.
