Sarah Novak Nesbitt: Advocating for Families with Ingenuity and Compassion
As the Managing Attorney of the Family Law Division at Family Legal Advocacy Group (FLAG), Sarah Novak Nesbitt has dedicated her professional life to working with children and families. Sarah understands the complexities of custody disputes, divorce, and child support issues, and she is deeply passionate about helping families navigate these challenges in a child-focused manner. Her commitment lies in preserving family relationships while ensuring that clients comprehend their rights and legal options. Sarah actively encourages clients to seek resolution through alternative dispute resolution, demonstrating her zealous advocacy in these processes and litigation when necessary.
Growing up in Montgomery County, Sarah pursued her education at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. Graduating magna cum laude with dual degrees in psychology and sociology, she focused her coursework and research on infant and child development and family dynamics. During her time at Notre Dame, Sarah volunteered with a mentoring and tutoring program for South Bend youth. Post-college, she returned to Maryland and worked as a full-time volunteer teacher at a scholarship school for low-income middle school boys in Baltimore City. Inspired by her volunteer experiences, Sarah decided to become a lawyer to assist children and families in navigating the legal system.
Sarah graduated cum laude from the University of Maryland School of Law, where she was a Leadership Scholar. Her legal journey included a summer internship with Project HEAL, a joint program from the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service and Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, focusing on family law and special education cases. She received the Maryland Public Interest Law Project Pro Bono Student of the Year award for initiating a program for law students to volunteer with Project HEAL. Throughout law school, Sarah volunteered with the House of Ruth, providing services to victims of domestic violence. Her coursework encompassed various family law-related topics, and she focused on alternative dispute resolution options for families.
Upon graduation, Sarah became an associate with Weinberg & Schwartz, L.L.C., a firm exclusively practicing family law in Columbia, Maryland. Recognized as a Super Lawyers Rising Star in family law for three consecutive years (2011, 2012, 2013), Sarah was also admitted to the United States Supreme Court in 2012. She frequently volunteers in the Family Law Assistance Program in the Circuit Court for Howard County and has appeared in multiple Circuit Courts across Maryland.
Currently residing in Montgomery County with her husband, three young children, and energetic Labrador, Sarah enjoys spending time at the beach, cheering for the Fighting Irish football team, and cooking. She actively serves on the Board of the Collaborative Project of Maryland, a non-profit organization providing low-cost Collaborative Divorce services to families in Maryland.
