Sara M. Vanden Brook - Madison, WI

Overview

Sara has long been a strong advocate for children. Before attending law school, she was a social worker for the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare. Now as an experienced attorney, recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in 2017 and 2019, Sara helps families involved in divorce and paternity proceedings, grandparent and foster parent rights cases, and in complicated CHIPS and termination of parental rights matters. She also serves as a mediator, as well as a guardian ad litem, representing the best interest of children. In all cases, Sara seeks creative solutions that work for families and protect children’s rights.

PRACTICE AREAS

Divorce
Cooperative and Collaborative Divorce
Child Custody, Placement, and Support
Paternity
International Family Law
LGBTQ Family Law
Marital Property and Cohabitation Agreements
Mediation
Parent Coordination
Appeals
Guardian ad litem Appointments
CHIPS
Guardianships
Grandparent Rights
Foster Parent Rights
Adoption (Contested and Uncontested)
Assisted Reproduction
Surrogacy

EDUCATION

Sara graduated with distinction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies & Psychology. She earned her law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2008.

While in law school, Sara was a leader in the Children’s Justice Project. She was also active in the Wisconsin Journal of Law, Gender & Society, and Law Students for Reproductive Justice. She interned for the Honorable David Flanagan, Dane County Circuit Court, and was a student attorney with both the Rock County Public Defender’s Office and the Family Law & Restorative Justice Project of the Frank J. Remington Center.

COMMUNITY AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Sara serves as a member of the Board of the Divorce Cooperation Institute. She was formerly the President of the Board. She is also a member of the Collaborative Family Law Council of Wisconsin, the Dane County Bar Association, and the Legal Association for Women. Sara has served on the Board of the Children and the Law Section of the State Bar since 2017, an elected position.

Sara volunteers with the Dane County Family Law Assistance Center and the Dane County Case Mediation Program. She has been a coach for Dane County Girls on the Run, and while she has traded in her running shoes for a yoga mat, Sara is proud to have completed numerous charity runs, including a Madison Marathon and several half marathons across the country.

PERSONAL

Sara and her husband are the proud parents of their two young children, and they have two socially awkward cats, Monkey and George. Sara is an avid fan of the Badgers, Packers, and Brewers. She and her family love to travel, especially to tropical destinations, and they also regularly enjoy local trips to the zoo, parks, and the Farmer’s Market.