Beginning in July 2023, Sarah is serving on Denver City Council and is on leave from practicing law.
Ms. Parady received her JD from NYU School of Law, where she was an Executive Editor for the NYU Law Review and a Hays Civil Liberties Fellow, and received a Vanderbilt Medal for community service, as well as multiple academic awards. She is a Wyoming native, and received her undergraduate degree summa cum laude from Simon’s Rock College.
After law school, she served as a law clerk to Judge Carlos F. Lucero of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, then received a Skadden Fellowship to work at Colorado Legal Services.
Ms. Parady has been recognized as the New Trial Lawyer of the Year for 2017 by the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association and as the “People’s Choice” for “Best Employment Attorney for Plaintiffs” in 2019 by Law Week Colorado. In 2018, she received “Case of the Year” awards from CTLA and the Colorado Plaintiff Employment Lawyers Association for two different cases. She served as the 2019-2020 President of the Colorado Women’s Bar Association after leading CWBA’s successful effort to pass SB 19-085, the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act.
Ms. Parady teaches many Continuing Legal Education programs each year, co-authors a chapter of the Practitioner’s Guide to Colorado Employment Law, frequently contributes to legal publications in Colorado, and is a sought-after author of amicus and appellate briefs. She has taught Employment Law as an adjunct faculty member at University of Colorado School of Law.
A recognized statewide policy expert on civil rights, workers’ rights, and constitutional law issues, Ms. Parady leads the firm’s lobbying practice. She has assisted with bill drafting and testified many times in the state legislature on employment and discrimination topics.
Leadership Roles:
• 2019-2020 President, Colorado Women’s Bar Association
• 2018-2019 Executive Committee, Colorado Trial Lawyers Association
• 2018-2019 Colorado Bar Association Board of Governors Representative (Civil Rights Section)
• 2016 President, Plaintiff Employment Lawyers Association
• 2016, Colorado Bar Association Leadership Training class
• Co-Chair, “NYU Law on the Rockies”
Community Service & Pro Bono:
• 2020-2021 Chair, Board of Directors, Colorado Center on Law & Policy
• Cooperating Counsel, ACLU of Colorado
• Pro Bono Panel, Faculty of Federal Advocates
• Mentor, “Law School – Yes We Can” Program
• Member, “Time’s Up” Legal Defense Fund
Recognition:
• 2023 5280 Top Lawyer
• 2022 Best Lawyers in America, Civil Rights Litigation
• 2019 Law Week People’s Choice Award for “Best Employment Attorney for Plaintiffs”
• 2019 to 2022 Top Lawyer in Civil Rights Litigation, 5280 Magazine
• 2019 Finalist, Individual Inclusiveness@Work Award, Center for Legal Inclusiveness
• 2018 Case of the Year Award, PELA
• 2017 Case of the Year Award, CTLA
• 2017 New Trial Lawyer of the Year, CTLA
• 2017 Barrister of the Year, The GLBT Center of Colorado
• 2016 to 2022 Super Lawyers Rising Star in Employment
• 2015 to 2022 Martindale-Hubbell Preeminent Rating
Memberships:
• Colorado Plaintiff Employment Lawyers Association
• National Employment Lawyers Association
• Colorado Trial Lawyers Association
• Colorado Women’s Bar Association
• Ally member of Colorado’s identity bar associations (LGBT Bar Association, Sam Cary Bar Association, Colorado Hispanic Bar Association, Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and South Asian Bar Association)
• Lawyers Civil Rights Coalition
• Faculty of Federal Advocates
• Colorado Bar Association, Labor & Employment and Civil Rights Sections
Publications:
• “Colorado’s Equal Pay for Equal Work Act: What Employment Counsel Need to Know,” The Colorado Lawyer (October 2019)
• “The Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act and the Federal Anti-Discrimination Laws: Lesser-Known Differences,” Trial Talk (June/July 2019)
• “The Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act: A Case for Closing the Gap in 2019,” Women of Denver, 4/29/19.
• “Chapter 4 – The Age Discrimination in Employment Act,” Practitioners’ Guide to Colorado Employment Law, Third Edition (2018)
• “Remedies for Workplace Sexual Violence,” The Colorado Lawyer (November 2016)
• “Termination for Failure to Sign Discriminatory Discipline: Surviving the Pretext Analysis,” Trial Talk (June/July 2015)
• “Enforcing the Home Affordable Modification Program in the Courts,” Clearinghouse Review Journal of Poverty Law & Policy (November/December 2010)
Selected Courses Taught:
• Case Law Update, Colorado Bar Association 2021 Employment Law Conference (October 2021)
• Case Law Update, Plaintiff Employment Lawyers Association (August 2021)
• Candor to the Tribunal and Fellow Members of the Bar, Colorado Bar Association (September 2019)
• CADA and the Federal Anti-Discrimination Laws: Lesser-Known Differences, Plaintiff Employment Lawyers Association (August 2019)
• Disability Rights in Employment, Colorado Bar Association (July 2019)
• Treatment of LGBTQ Individuals in the Courtroom, Eighteenth Judicial District (July 2018)
• Treatment of LGBT Individuals in the Courtroom, COSCA Human Resources Summit (June 2018)
• Treatment of LGBTQ Individuals in the Courtroom, Colorado Chief Judges Conference (February 2018)
• The Status of Transgender Rights in Bathrooms, the Military, Health Care, Schools and Other Institutions, Colorado Bar Association (November 2017)
• Federal Tort Litigation: How to Get Damages in Federal Court for Immigration Clients, American Immigration Lawyers Association (October 2017)
• Checklists and Cheat Sheets for Attorneys New to Labor and Employment Law: Tools to Begin Your Practice, CBA Labor & Employment Section (October 2017)
• Trans Equality in Your Courtroom, Colorado Judicial Conference (September 2017)
• Potential Client Consultations: How to Protect Yourself, Your Client, and Your Ethical Obligations, CBA Labor & Employment Section (October 2016)
• Developing Issues in Transgender Discrimination, CBA Labor & Employment Section (May 2016)
• The ADA & Mental Health, CBA Labor & Employment Section (April 2016)
• The Amended Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act: Best Practices for Small Employers, CBA Solo & Small Firm Section (March 2016)
• 2015 Revisions to the Colorado & Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Plaintiff Employment Lawyers Association (July 2015)
