PROFESSIONAL PROFILE CURATED FOR ATHLETES.
Sara Azari is a nationally recognized trial lawyer with more than two decades of experience representing professional athletes, public figures, entertainers, and high-net-worth individuals. She is known for handling high-stakes, high-visibility, and reputation-sensitive matters with discretion, precision, and an elite client-service model.
Sara works closely—and confidentially—with athletes, talent representatives, agents, and leagues to defend against allegations of sexual misconduct and violent offenses, as well as white collar offenses such as gambling and fraud in all criminal or quasi-criminal actions and proceedings. Her representation spans early-stage investigations, emergency response, media-exposed crises, negotiation and mitigation, administrative proceedings, and trial advocacy in both state and federal courts across the country. Sara has completed close to 100 trials through verdict.
Her deep background in complex criminal defense, white-collar litigation, and dual civil-criminal matters allows her to manage not only the legal exposure facing high-profile clients, but also the reputational and career-impact concerns unique to professional athletes—including contract implications, league discipline, and public-relations risk. In addition to her legal practice, Sara is a well-known national media legal analyst and author, regularly sought for expert commentary on CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, and other major outlets. This experience gives her a strategic understanding of narrative control, media risk, and the broader ecosystem that surrounds athletes in crisis.
PRACTICE AREAS
Athlete & High-Profile Client Representation
Confidential defense of athletes, entertainers, and public figures in all stages of criminal, quasi-criminal, and reputational matters, including sexual misconduct, assault, domestic violence, fraud, gambling, and all other high-stakes charges and accusations.
Criminal Defense — State & Federal
Complex felonies, violent crimes, restraining orders, cyber offenses, public corruption, trafficking, fraud, gambling, and high-stakes investigations.
White Collar & Corporate Investigations
Fraud, Criminal Tax, Gambling, Public Corruption, and Financial Crimes.
Extradition Defense
Defense of Sexual Misconduct & #MeToo-Related Allegations Crisis response, reputation protection, civil and criminal defense, negotiation of a Settlement Release Agreements, as well as mitigation and litigation of #metoo claims
Pre-Filing, Internal & Parallel Proceedings
Strategic navigation of commonly overlapping civil and criminal exposure.
Sports & Entertainment Advisory
Risk management, evidence assessment, crisis containment, liaison with talent and sports agents.
REPRESENTATION OF ATHLETES & HIGH-PROFILE CLIENTS
Sara’s sports and entertainment practice is centered on trusted, discreet, and full-spectrum representation of athletes and other public figures whose careers, reputations, and contracts demand immediate, strategic, and confidential legal action.
Her work includes:
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Defending professional athletes accused of gambling, fraud, sexual misconduct, domestic violence, or other actionable boundary violations—from early investigation through trial.
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Managing complex dual criminal-civil and criminal proceedings, including administrative hearings and criminal actions.
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Negotiating and mediating #metoo allegations towards full settlement.
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Advising agents and representatives to ensure career-aware decision-making and alignment with league and association policies.
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Conducting rapid-response internal investigations to evaluate claims, witness credibility, digital evidence, and reputational risk.
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Counseling clients through media-intensive, high-profile allegations, leveraging her national broadcast experience to anticipate and neutralize narrative threats.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Law Office of Sara Azari — Solo Practitioner & Lead Trial Attorney
Los Angeles & New York | 2005–Present
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Represents clients nationwide in federal district courts, as well as in CA and NY state courts.
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Leads high-stakes defense in complex felonies, white-collar matters, and reputationally sensitive cases involving athletes, entertainers, and public figures.
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Extensive experience managing dual civil-criminal litigation, internal investigations, quasi-criminal civil actions, and overlapping regulatory or administrative matters.
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Provides crisis-management guidance to agents, representatives, and high-visibility clients navigating media exposure and brand risk.
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Maintains a practice built on confidentiality, discretion, and highly individualized client strategy.
Tacopina, Seigel & Deoreo
Of Counsel Trial Attorney
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Represents high-profile clients in high-stakes civil and criminal litigation as of counsel trial attorney
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Expands the firm’s reach and representation to the West Coast, providing wholistic representation to our clients, including Roc Nation label’s musicians
Baker & McKenzie
Associate Attorney, Los Angeles & International Practice Groups
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Represented multinational corporations and executives in transactional matters, internal investigations, due diligence, and transactional matters.
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Negotiated mergers and acquisitions of multinational enterprises through completion.
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Gained foundational training in cross-border investigations and corporate compliance
MEDIA & PUBLIC PRESENCE
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National Legal Analyst & Commentator: CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, NewsNation, and other major networks.
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Contributor on high-profile criminal cases, sports-related criminal allegations, and #MeToo-era litigation.
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Author and frequent speaker on criminal defense strategy, crisis mitigation, and credibility analysis.