Sarah B. Jansen

Sarah B. Jansen focuses her practice on construction contracts and defense litigation, commercial general liability coverage, risk transfer matters, and municipal law. She also practices in the area of complex civil litigation, including construction injury and defect litigation. Her experience includes various aspects of the commercial construction industry, with a focus on commercial contracts and risk management. She serves as assistant outside counsel for a large multi-state commercial construction company and as assistant National Coordinating and Oversight Counsel for general liability claims for subsidiaries of a Fortune 500 company. She also serves as litigation counsel for various municipal clients.

Prior to joining HeplerBroom, Ms. Jansen worked for Aleen R. Tiffany P.C., handling various construction litigation, construction contract, and insurance coverage issues. She is a former Assistant State’s Attorney for the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office, focusing on appellate work and federal civil rights litigation against County officials, as well as providing legal counsel to County officials, department heads, and employees. Earlier in her career, she was an associate at firms in Illinois and Wisconsin, where she focused on commercial and construction litigation.

Ms. Jansen served as Law Clerk to the Honorable John L. Coffey of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the Honorable Anne M. Burke of the Illinois Appellate Court. 

Education

• University of Notre Dame Law School, J.D., cum laude, 2000
• Illinois Wesleyan University, Bachelor of Arts in English, 1997

LAW SCHOOL HONORS/INVOLVEMENT

• Appellate Moot Court Team
• Dean’s List
• Research Assistant to Professor Charles Rice

Admissions & Affiliations

• Illinois Bar
• Wisconsin Bar
• United States Supreme Court
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit
• U.S. District Courts of the
  • Northern District of Illinois
  • Eastern District of Wisconsin

• Secured dismissal at pleadings stage in favor of nationally-based underground utility contractor in a double fatality automobile accident. Plaintiff claimed accident resulted from contractor’s work in vicinity of roadway. Motion granted based upon pleadings and numerous investigative depositions allowed by trial court. Affirmed by First District Illinois Appellate Court. Appeal to Illinois Supreme Court denied based upon briefs by Hepler Broom colleague Aleen Tiffany (2021).
• Secured dismissal at pleadings stage of pedestrian fatality case against a municipal client.
• Secured dismissal at pleadings stage of various Section 1983 and state law claims against municipal client and its board members for denial of variance and special use petitions.

Honors & Awards

• Best Lawyers' list of “Ones to Watch” (2023-2025)
• Litigation Award from the Illinois Institute for Local Government Law (2010)

News

Blog Posts

Publications

• “The Technology Revolution in the Construction Industry: The Rise of Artificial Intelligence,” Monograph, IDC Quarterly, Vol. 29 No. 4 (2019).
• "Construction Law Monograph," IDC Quarterly, Vol. 28, No. 2 (2018). (Co-author)