About Sarah
Sarah Elizabeth Spencer is a seasoned appellate advocate. She is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and the Ninth, Tenth, District of Columbia, and Federal Circuit Courts of Appeal. She is licensed to practice in Utah and Colorado state courts. When Sarah's clients need her help in other states, Sarah seeks admission pro hac vice in standalone cases. In recent years Sarah has been admitted pro hac vice in matters pending in Idaho, Nevada, and California.
Sarah has practiced law for 19 years. Sarah has served as lead counsel on, personally briefed, and argued dozens of appeals. Sarah handles all facets of appellate work. She has extensive experience appealing: interlocutory orders, preliminary injunctions and provisional remedies, final judgments on the merits (dispositive rulings, summary judgment orders, trial verdicts), post-trial and post-judgment orders, and immediately appealable orders in admiralty/maritime cases and sin ection 1983 cases where qualified immunity is denied before trial.
Sarah always strives to win but there are no guarantees, particularly on appeal. Sarah knows how to fight back against an unexpected loss or a wrong decision, and turn it into a victory, by petitioning for rehearing, en banc review, and certiorari.
Sarah has significant experience drafting amicus briefs on important issues of law. Sarah represents industry organizations as amicus "friend of the court" parties in appeals raising legal issues affecting them. In 2023, Sarah authored several amicus briefs filed the United States Supreme Court in support of certiorari and on the merits.
Sarah’s appellate skillset is buttressed by her significant trial court experience litigating complicated multi-claim and multi-party cases involving contracts, fiduciary duties, corporate governance, fraud, trusts, authority/principal-agent issues, real property disputes, business torts, product liability claims, premises liability claims, professional liability actions, and related matters. She has won many contentious, high-exposure cases on summary judgment after years of hard-fought litigation—and sustained such victories on appeal.
Since she was a child, Sarah has focused her life on becoming an attorney. She won an essay contest in 6th grade, passionately describing her dream to become a lawyer. Sarah started college at age 13 after testing for her high school diploma following years of accelerated education as a youngster. She obtained her B.A. in 1999 at 16 and started law school in 2001 at 18. Sarah graduated from law school with her J.D. in 2004 and was admitted to the Colorado bar at age 21. Sarah was reported to be the youngest graduate of both her alma mater and law school as of 1999 and 2004 respectively.
Professional Experience
Spencer Willson, PLLC, Salt Lake City, Utah
President, founder, & managing attorney (Grand Opening January 2024 )
Christensen & Jensen, P.C., Salt Lake City, Utah
Vice-president, shareholder, and director (January 2023 to present)
Shareholder and director (January 2014 to December 2023)
Associate (December 2007 to December 2013)
Utah State Courts, Administrative Office of the Courts, Salt Lake City, Utah
Judicial law clerk (2006 to 2007)
Hall & Evans, PLLC, Denver, Colorado
Associate attorney (2005 to 2006)
Colorado Judicial Branch, Second Judicial District, Denver, Colorado
Judicial law clerk (2004 to 2005)
Awards/Recognitions
Sarah currently serves as the 2023-2024 chair of the Appellate Advocacy Committee of DRI and is an executive committee member of the Utah State Bar Appellate Practice Section. She is also a member of the Amicus Committee of the DRI Center for Law and Public Policy. She previously served as the chair of the Appellate Practice Section of the Utah State Bar. She has published and spoken extensively on appellate practice.
AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating, Martindale-Hubbell (2012-present)
Best Lawyers Peer Review Rating (2017-2023, commercial litigation)
Super Lawyer Peer Review Rating, Thomson Reuters (2019-present)
Rising Star Peer Review Rating, Thomson Reuters (2010-2018)
Utah Legal Elite, Utah Business Magazine (2017-2022, civil litigation defense)
Up and Coming Utah Legal Elite, Utah Business Magazine (2010-2016)
Selected as one of Utah's "Forty under 40” Young Professionals, Utah Business Magazine (2017)
Education
University of Denver Sturm College of Law – Juris Doctor (2004)
Graduated at age 21 (youngest J.D. graduate of record as of 2004)
Staff editor, University of Denver International Law Journal
Member, ABA traveling trial team
American Jurisprudence Award, Advanced Civil Procedure
First place finalist, Barrister’s Cup Appellate Advocacy Competition
Metropolitan State University of Denver – Bachelor of Arts (Psychology, 1999)
Graduated at age 16 (youngest B.A. graduate of record as of 1999)
Honors: Psi Chi, National Honor Society in Psychology, President’s Award
Professional Associations
DRI: Lawyers Representing Business
Appellate Advocacy Committee (2008-present)
Committee Chair (2021-present)
Center for Law & Public Policy
Amicus committee (2021-present)
State Legislation and Rules Task Force (2023-present)
Young Lawyers Committee (2008-2015)
Appellate Practice Section (2006-present)
Section Chair (2017-2018)
Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee (2010-2015)
Committee Co-Chair (2012-2015)
Young Lawyers Division (2006-2013)
Co-Chair of Utah State Bar Summer Convention in Sun Valley, Idaho (2009)
Personal Background
Sarah is a Colorado native. She moved to Utah in 2006 after completing a one-year clerkship and working for a year at a mid-size firm in Denver, Colorado. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband and 3 children. Sarah enjoys skiing Utah's one-of-a-kind champagne powder, reading and staying abreast of current events, wind tunnel flying (also known as indoor skydiving), freestyle skydiving, and cooking.