Sarah Connelly is Counsel on the Class Action Counsel team and is based in New Jersey. She is responsible for partnering with trial teams to conduct the fact and legal investigation and exposure assessment for class, collective, and representative actions, including PAGA matters. Sarah prepares a full evaluation of the case based on the needs of the client and trial team. The assessment includes an analysis of the client’s wage and hour and/or other employment policies and practices, fact witness interviews, and an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the client’s case, including opportunities for remediation. She also partners with data analysts to conduct damages modeling and exposure assessments. Sarah drafts answers and evaluates matters for potential removal to federal court, and because of her knowledge of the factual and legal issues of the matter, remains involved in the litigation through opposition to class certification and settlement.
Prior to joining Littler in 2017, Sarah was involved in a wide variety of labor and employment-related negotiations and litigation. A few highlights include:
- Successfully argued to the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division-First Department that a reinsurer’s statute of limitations defense should be decided by an arbitration panel rather than the court
- Member of liaison counsel that assisted over 20 aviation defendants in complex, multibillion dollar federal civil litigation arising out of the September 11th terrorist attacks
- Represented foreign and domestic air carriers in consumer class actions arising from the application of European Union regulations for compensation and assistance to U.S. passengers in the event of mass transportation disruptions
- Assisted in litigating a commercial dispute on behalf of international air carrier and achieving a favorable jury verdict after a two-week trial in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
- Obtained dismissal of action on behalf of engine manufacturer based on the government contractor defense
- Represented pilots’ union in contract negotiations and before federal agencies
- Provided insurance coverage advice and litigated numerous cases on behalf of domestic and European insurance companies in policyholder disputes arising out of construction, environmental, asbestos, and other health hazard claims
Additionally, Sarah serves as adjunct professor at Seton Hall University School of Law where she is teaching a year-long course called Introduction to Lawyering. In this role, Sarah provides students with opportunities to exercise and receive intensive feedback on a broad range of practical lawyering skills including research, writing, interviewing, counseling, negotiation, and oral advocacy.
