Sarah E. Ruter
by Dan Heilman
Photo by Bill Klotz |
Born: Nov. 7, 1974; Robbinsdale, Minn.
Education: University of Minnesota Law School, J.D., 2005; University of Wisconsin, B.S., 1997
Employment: Best & Flanagan, associate, 2005-present
Professional Associations: American Bar Association, Hennepin County Bar Association, Minnesota State Bar Association, Minnesota Women Lawyers
Community Activities: Children’s Law Center of Minnesota, Hennepin County Guardian ad Litem Program, Sexual Violence Center Board of Directors
Hobbies/Interests: Cooking, home improvement, playing piano, travel, yoga
Family: Husband, Brent; one son
Best & Flanagan, L.L.P.
Education: University of Minnesota Law School, J.D., 2005; University of Wisconsin, B.S., 1997
Employment: Best & Flanagan, associate, 2005-present
Professional Associations: American Bar Association, Hennepin County Bar Association, Minnesota State Bar Association, Minnesota Women Lawyers
Community Activities: Children’s Law Center of Minnesota, Hennepin County Guardian ad Litem Program, Sexual Violence Center Board of Directors
Hobbies/Interests: Cooking, home improvement, playing piano, travel, yoga
Family: Husband, Brent; one son
Sarah E. Ruter took a winding road on her way to being an attorney, but she’s happy with the destination.
Ruter is an associate at Best & Flanagan, practicing in the areas of litigation and family law, with a focus on employment law. But before she ever worked in front of a jury, she got a good taste of dealing with a demanding audience.
“I went into education after college, when I lived in the Boston area,” Ruter recalls. “I thought I would do it for a year, maybe two. I ended up really liking it, though, and I did it for five years.”
Ruter taught high school English and drama, even though she had no background in the latter subject at all, beyond directing impromptu plays with family members.
“I was hired a month before school started, and the course description was a paragraph long,” she says. “The textbooks hadn’t arrived yet, and I had one class with ninth-grade boys who were the kids who just hated school.”
But Ruter jumped into the job with enthusiasm, and the kids eventually responded. “That’s when I learned the truth of the expression, ‘Fake it till you make it,’” she says.
“I found myself drawn to both family law and employment law because in both cases, you work with people a great deal,” she says. “My practice has shifted toward employment law in the last year, but at first I wanted to cultivate that interest in working with kids.”
To that end, Ruter went through guardian ad litem training and found that not only did working in that area give her a chance to work with children, but also, “I was able to help families in crisis get the help they need.”
Ruter spends about 50 pro bono hours per year as a guardian ad litem in Hennepin County.
“It’s great to help people who need it, but another good perk for me is working as a guardian ad litem gives me regular court time,” she says. “It has allowed me to build my advocacy skills and feel comfortable in a courtroom.”
As an employment lawyer, Ruter represents businesses and corporations of all sizes, as well as individuals in cases involving employment discrimination, wrongful termination, sexual harassment and retaliation. She’s found that those cases are often as complex and poignant as family law cases.
“Employment law is very personal,” she says. “People’s work is very intertwined with their identity, and so they get very emotionally involved in what happens on their jobs.”
