Murder Conviction — Overturned on Direct Appeal
Mario Casciaro was convicted of murdering an employee at his family's grocery store in 2011. After reviewing the evidence that led to Mario's conviction, Sarah found several inconsistent statements made by the State's key eyewitness and so much prosecutorial misconduct that the Court of Appeals no choice but to throw out Mario's conviction. Because of Sarah's pivotal role in his exoneration, she had the privilege of escorting him out of prison walls and into the arms of his family.
Attempted Murder — Dismissed
G.W. was charged with attempted murder after she was attacked in her boyfriends's car and started shooting at her attacker. Sarah reviewed the evidence, police, reports, information about the alleged victim, and even reviewed the social media pages of the alleged victim and witnesses. G.W. was offered several plea agreements, but Sarah compiled a self-defense case that was so strong that, despite threats of 20+ years if found guilty at trial, GW insisted on going to trial. A trial date was set, but to avoid making a mockery of themselves in front of a jury, the State dismissed the entire case one week before jury selection.
Second Degree Murder - Dismissed
Mr. Richardson was charged with second-degree murder for a shooting that took place at a Brooklyn Park convenience store in June 2021. After being implicated by the getaway driver, but with no other evidence, Mr. Richardson was apprehended by US Marshals in Virginia, his state of residence, and extradited to Minnesota. He was held on $2 million bail until Ms. Gad filed a motion to dismiss the case for lack of probable cause, given the absence of evidence tying Mr. Richardson to the murer. After months of delays and continuance requests by the State, Ms. Gad got the entire as finally dismissed in July 2023.
Drug conspiracy, Possession of a Firearm and Possession of Controlled Substance — Dismissed
Mr. Banks, who happens to be the older brother of Lil Durk, was charged with a long litany of aggravated drug charges following a racially-motivated traffic stop. Despite having no probable cause to search the vehicle, Mr. Banks was ordered to step out while police searched. The contraband that the police allegedly found was irrelevant, because the original search that uncovered the alleged contraband ran afoul of Mr. Banks's constitutional rights. The entire case was dismissed without prejudice, but the state did not re-charge him.
First Degree Drug Offense & Drug Trafficking — Acquitted
Mr. Gilbert (right) was charged with an aggravated controlled substance crime in the first degree and drug trafficking. He rejected the State's plea agreement, which would have required him to serve 5 years in prison in exchange for a lesser offense. He went to trial and was acquitted on all charges.
Aggravated Robbery Charges — Dismissed
M.J. was charged with aggravated robbery of a convenience store. Despite having an alibi, the State pursued the case based on a cigarette butt with M.J.'s DNA that was found in the parking lot of a convenience store, along with the testimony of a single eyewitness. After a thorough review of the evidence (or lack thereof), including grainy surveillance footage, Sarah filed a motion to dismiss for lack of probable cause. The State contested the motion, but it was granted by the court. The State vowed that they were going to recharge our client, but they never did.
Burglary, Criminal Damage to Property — Dismissed
Client was accused of breaking into the home of her ex-brother in law and stealing $8,800 worth of items. The State failed to realize that the home belonged to the client's sister, and that all of the property inside the home belonged to the client's sister. To avoid any further embarrassment, the State dropped the charges at the client's arraignment prior to the client being arraigned. Moral of the story: State, do your due diligence next time.
Client was accused of stealing money from the cash register of the retail store at which they worked. After a thorough review of the police report, Sarah discovered several inconsistencies that diminished the credibility of the State's only alleged witness. The client rejected the State's plea bargain and insisted on going to trial. A trial date was set for October of 2021. The State dropped the case one week before jury selection.
Felony Theft (>$1,000), Receiving Stolen Goods — Dismissed
Sarah was the Forensics Director for the Steven Avery case from the Netflix docu-series Making a Murderer. She played a pivotal role in the evidence used for Steven Avery's pending appeal and was featured in the second season of the docu-series, which was released in 2018.
Client testimonials.
"Straight dismissal. I'm still in disbelief. Better outcome than I could have ever hoped for. State vows to recharge me, but I am not worried because of who I have in my corner. Sarah is the kind of lawyer that everyone deserves to have. God bless all of you!"-DM
" Sarah was the attorney we worked with and she blew us away. The judge found my s/o not guilty after a bench trial. Sarah was all around a great lawyer. She is really big on contact and explained everything well, which I really appreciated because we never felt lost in the shuffle or confused about any part of the process. More importantly, we won." -AA
"Sarah is in a league of her own and the kind of lawyer that everyone needs on their side. Hired for my boyfriend's burglary case and did spectacular work. He had a bench trial and the judge said there was too much reasonable doubt to find him guilty of this. Crazy because the PD he had at first said the evidence was too much and he was likely looking at 10+ years if he didn't take a plea deal. I would recommend this law firm to anyone who needs a lawyer."-JP
"Sarah is by far the most upstanding woman to come into my life thus far! She represented me on a case that would have changed my entire life had prosecution got their way with the verdict. She is the most detail oriented attorney I have had in all my years. Because of her due diligence my case was dismissed, my fines were dropped, and best of all my peace of mind has been restored all thanks to this lovely individual! I cried tears of joy when she called to let me know the good news! She navigated me through a period of uncertainty and I couldn’t ask for a better powerful woman leading the way for someone like myself! Words cannot express how grateful I am! Thank you Sarah you’re an inspiration!"-SCE
"I was really impressed by this law firm. Easy to work with, up front, hard working. They got my 5th degree drug case dismissed straight up and the lawyer Sarah is surprisingly fun to work with. Super chill with me and got the charges dismissed pretty early because of a small technicality. I will be recommending her to others"-AM
"Sarah is INCREDIBLE, people I've never left a review for a lawyer before, but I want to make sure people know about her. She is the first lawyer who actually advocated for my brother in a way that made us feel like she really truly cared. She gathered all of the reports and evidence, and even recreated the "crime scene" to see if it was possible for the police to have discovered the evidence the way they claimed. Kai's last court hearing was two weeks ago and he wouldn't agree the terms of the prosecutor's plea deal so they set a trial date for February 2023. Sarah promised she wouldn't charge us any more money for the trial. This morning we got a phone call from Sarah letting us know that we were not going to trial because the Anoka prosecutor decided to dismiss Kai's case. Turned out, Sarah was the one who advised Kai not to take the deal and go to trial because she thought that the county's case was so weak. I can't stop crying. Thank you Sarah, so much. For showing my brother so much compassion and taking an active role in his case. You are an example of what a lawyer should be, and I wish more were like you. Thank you thank you thank you!"-KN
"Sarah went above and beyond to help me get through one of the most difficult and trying times of my life. It was a long, winding road, but my name was cleared in the end. Thank you Sarah & Haron! You guys are the best :)" -KN
"These people are such incredible advocates. Peter is so helpful and Sarah (my lawyer) pulled off an epic performance. Let's put it this way: we won fair and square, and the prosecutor wasn't used to the bad guy pulling the win. I think what set's this law firm apart from all the. others in the twin cities / MSP is how much they genuinely care about the people they help. Sarah came ready and the State wasn't ready for Sarah 😂" -JRX
"the best. no comparison. thought I had a hopeless case, but this woman came in and changed everything.the biggest heart of anyone I have ever met. didn't know they made lawyers like this." -BW
"Sarah Gad is a baaaaad woman! We beat my robbery & drug case!!!! Ms Sarah, you truly a blessing from God. I been dealing with legal folks my whole life and never met one like Ms. Sarah. This was the first case I ever beat in my life. I guess it don't really matter much bcuz I got so many priors but it feels so good to win once in ur life. Some thoughts about the services: very professional and down to earth. Ms Sarah treated me with respect & really heard me out. Great energy, hella smart, sassy & funny & had me cracking up most of the time. She looks out & keeps it 100 & I really respect that. Even if I lost my case I would still give her 5+++ stars because no other lawyer has ever worked to help me like that. You would be a fool not to hire her if you can get her to take your case!!! Worth every penny" -JN
"Where to begin... for once i feel that i had an advocate.. I had a lawyer who cared about me as a person. excellent representation. on the day of my hearing, I sat in the courtroom for about 3 hrs watching other people and their lawyers. all i can say is I'm glad I had sarah on my side. She is untouchable, in a league of her own. all good lawyers are pricey but sarah is worth every penny." -AS
"Miss Gad ur truly a gift from the heavens. She came into my life at my lowest point and helped me our more than anyone ever has no cap. She cool and funny af too .Not sure what yall other people doing paying these old white geezers to plead yourselves guilty while Miss Gad out here beating cases left & right. She beat my drug case & my bro Stephon case before that. she gets it, she gets the struggle, she shes a ride or die type who takes care of her people. Miss Sarah, if u reading this, thank u for real. ima get u the last of the money I owe u its been a hard few months so thank u for understanding and god bless. and then. promise u won't ever see my face again 😂"-WG
"I cant believe how much better this law firm is than all the rest. very professional, answered calls, explained everything to us very well, treated us very well and affordable. my advice GO WITH THIS FIRM IF U HAVE AN IMMIGRATION CASE! THEY ARE THE BEST!"-JS
"Sarah is wonderful, compassionate, and ridiculously talented at what she does. I was in the courtroom waiting for my fiancé's case to be called. Sarah was there with another client, and after I saw her in action, I knew she was exactly the kind of person we needed. I knew that my fiancé wasn't guilty, but we had a hard time finding a lawyer who believed us. The lawyer we hired didn't believe us and wouldn't refund any of our money when we jumped ship. Sarah believed us and explained everything carefully. She gave us excellent advice, and what she charged us was reasonable and within our means.Did I mention that we won?! Yes! We were blessed with great news today: my fiance's case was dismissed. Overall, 10/10 and recommend to anyone in need of a defense lawyer." -KW
"I had a great experience with this law firm. They were able to get my boyfriends drug case dismissed entirely. Very affordable and kind people." -KD
"My friend from Chicago recommended me to Sara because he said she was the best lawyer he knew. At the time my other defense lawyer kept pressing me to plead guilty and I know I wasn’t. When it came the to make the arguments (when it counted), that’s when she really came through. she was convincing as hell and she blew me away and left the state looking all red faced and stupid bc they thought they had ther case made. I could tell she really cared and believed my innocence, and thats what carried the day. She is so laid back and a total sweetheart but she is fiery as hell in the court. Would rate her 10 stars out of 5, but I guess ill go with 5/5. I feel so lucky to have found her so THANK YOU Sara!" -SH