Sarah Varney

Attorney

Assisting Clients Throughout Worcester County

Sarah Varney concentrates her practice in criminal defense and appeals in state and federal courts, practicing in Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. Prior to joining the firm, Attorney Varney worked as a Staff Attorney at the New Hampshire Public Defender, representing clients charged in the Juvenile, District, and Superior Courts, and previously interned with the Philadelphia Public Defender’s Office and the CPCS Public Defender Division office here in Worcester.

Attorney Varney was drawn to criminal defense and appellate work while volunteering at the Pennsylvania Innocence Project—investigating post-conviction innocence claims, researching and developing legal arguments for appeals, and often reviewing letters from clients whose attorneys hadn’t provided them the representation they needed and deserved—and she found her passion for holistic, client-driven defense once she began working in public defender offices. Attorney Varney is driven by the interpersonal aspects of criminal defense practice and works diligently to represent each client as an individual, not just another criminal case or set of charges.

Since joining Rudolf, Smith, Griffis & Ruggieri, LLP, Attorney Varney has directed her practice toward more complex motions practice and appeals. Most recently, she has worked on multiple post-conviction appeals at the Massachusetts Court of Appeals and argued a federal sentencing appeal before the First Circuit Court of Appeals.

Areas of Practice

• Criminal Law
• Civil Litigation

Bar Admissions:

• New Hampshire
• Massachusetts
• U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
• U.S. Supreme Court

Education:

• Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law
  J.D. (Criminal Law concentration), summa cum laude
  Dean’s Award for Exceptional Achievement
• Wheaton College (MA)
  B.A., magna cum laude

Professional Associations and Memberships:

• Massachusetts Bar Association
• Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
• Worcester County Bar Association
• New Hampshire Bar Association
• Federal Bar Association, Massachusetts chapter

Past Employment Positions:

• New Hampshire Public Defender, Laconia Office