Sarah M. Lockwood

In addition to her work with the Montana Public Interest Law Coalition, in 2013 Sarah served as the Secretary and Treasurer of the ACLU, Law Student Chapter. The ACLU funded several events dedicated to student and community outreach. Sarah was also a volunteer hearing officer for the Missoula Housing Authority from 2012-2014. In this work, Sarah was able to gain experience in navigating the interplay between federal laws and policies, and the local programs which implement them. This work was challenging, as people were faced with eviction and loss of housing benefits. Emotions often ran high at the hearings, and Sarah had to serve as an objective third-party to decide whether the Housing Authority could follow through on their proposed actions.  

Sarah’s primary passion during law school was volunteering to help wrongfully convicted persons in her work at the Montana Innocence Project. Sarah assisted with case screening and legal research. While still in law school, on October 18, 2013, Sarah received the Freedom Fighter Award from the Montana Innocence Project in honor of “her unshakable enthusiasm and boundless dedication to freeing the innocent and preventing wrongful convictions.” Sarah worked on the Richard Raugust case both as an intern and as an associate attorney with Tipp Coburn Lockwood, PC (then known as Tipp & Buley), eventually helping to secure a full exoneration for Richard after he spent 18 years in prison for a murder he did not commit.

In addition to some clinical work at the Montana Innocence Project, Sarah also completed clinical work at the Appellate Defender’s of Montana during the Summer of 2013. During this time, she handled a criminal appeal in the Montana Supreme Court and learned the intricacies of criminal appellate procedure. 

In her spare time, Sarah enjoys participating in outdoor activities like hiking and boating, and spending time with her husband and her dog, Shea. 

Sarah practices in the areas of criminal defense, civil rights litigation, personal injury, family law and general civil litigation. She has practiced in a variety of jurisdictions throughout Montana and she is also licensed to practice in Montana’s Federal District Court. Sarah strives to provide zealous representation for her clients, and client satisfaction is her priority.