Sarah E. Ruberry
Managing Partner | Ruberry Stalmack &
Garvey, LLC
Sarah E. Ruberry is a highly accomplished trial lawyer with
over 25 years of experience representing national
insurers, corporations, and professionals in complex litigation.
Over the course of her career, she has conducted more than one
hundred arbitrations, negotiated numerous settlements, and tried
more than twenty-five bench and jury trials to verdict. Her
practice reflects a deep command of both coverage and defense
issues across a wide spectrum of industries and jurisdictions.
With more than two decades of litigation and trial
experience, Sarah has built a reputation for strategic,
results-driven advocacy in some of the most challenging and
high-exposure cases in the country. Since joining Ruberry Stalmack
& Garvey, she has handled an array of complex litigation
matters, including direct defense actions involving personal
injury, construction defect, and professional liability, as well as
sophisticated insurance coverage disputes involving land use and
zoning, environmental contamination, civil rights violations, and
alleged bad faith. She regularly represents insurers in
multi-million-dollar coverage and recovery actions and is known for
her ability to distill complex legal and factual issues into clear,
persuasive arguments before courts and arbitration panels.
Sarah has also represented insurance carriers as plaintiffs in
subrogation and recovery arbitrations across multiple
jurisdictions. Among her notable achievements, she successfully
represented a national carrier in arbitration against a large
third-party administrator and obtained an award for the full amount
of damages - in excess of $500,000 - plus interest.
In another matter, Sarah served as trial counsel in a two-week
environmental coverage trial before Judge Ramos in the Supreme
Court of the State of New York, First Department, in Wells Fargo v.
Zurich. The insured claimed over $12 million in damages, alleging
loss in fair market value of a contaminated property, and
alternatively sought $6.25 million in cleanup costs. After
discrediting the plaintiff's expert testimony and evidence, Sarah
and her trial team prevailed entirely - the court finding the
insured was entitled to zero dollars in damages.
Sarah also assisted in obtaining a $6.2 million award following
a three-week arbitration in Tampa, Florida, on behalf of a national
carrier in a matter involving professional negligence by the
insured's retained counsel.
In another landmark case, Sarah and her team obtained a ruling
of first impression from Judge Karen Smith of the Supreme Court of
New York in a case involving multiple deaths, personal injuries,
and property damage resulting from a New York City crane collapse.
In that case, the court extinguished the carrier's duty to defend
its named and additional insureds despite the existence of related,
unsettled actions - a significant precedent in the field of
insurance coverage litigation.
Practice Areas:
- Commercial Litigation
- Construction Defect
- Environmental
- Business Litigation
- Insurance Defense and Litigation
- Insurance Coverage Litigation
- Insurance Coverage Analysis
- Professional Liability
Admissions:
- Illinois State Bar
- Federal Court: Northern District of Illinois
- Federal Court: Central District of Illinois
- Utah State Bar
Professional Background & Affiliations:
Sarah began her career while still in law school as an assistant
to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, Civil Actions Bureau,
where she handled matters under a 711 license, gaining courtroom
and litigation experience before even obtaining her law degree.
This early exposure to motion practice, discovery, and trial
preparation provided the foundation for her deep understanding of
civil procedure and trial advocacy.
She later served as a Judicial Extern to Judge Blanche M.
Manning and Judge George W. Lindberg of the U.S. District Court for
the Northern District of Illinois, gaining insight into federal
judicial decision-making and procedural practice.
Sarah is also a Certified Cook County Arbitrator and an active
member of the Chicago Bar Association, where she continues to
contribute to professional development initiatives and mentor
younger attorneys entering the litigation field.