Robert J. Saria was admitted to the California State Bar in 1987.  He received his Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern University School of Law in 1986 and his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Southern California in 1982.

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For 17 years, Mr. Saria worked as a Deputy District Attorney for the counties of Los Angeles, Plumas, Butte and Sacramento.  Prior to this, he was a Trial Attorney with the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.  To date, he has tried over 200 felony jury trials as a prosecutor and defense attorney.

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Mr. Saria was an Adjunct Professor in the Administration of Justice Department at Sacramento City College and American River College.  He was an Instructor and Training Consultant for the California Department of Justice Advanced Training Center and Sacramento Regional Public Safety Center.

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Mr. Saria served honorably in the United States Army from 1981 to 1994. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Military Intelligence Branch and served as a Counterintelligence Officer. He obtained the rank of Captain and served in various command and staff positions. 

 

 

Sarah Namnama Saria was admitted to the California State Bar in 1991.  She received her Juris Doctor degree from UCLA School of Law in 1990 and her Bachelor of Arts degree from Barnard College, Columbia University in 1987.

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Ms. Saria began her legal career in southern California as a civil litigator. She worked on environmental cases that ranged from toxic torts with hundreds of plaintiffs to environmental regulatory and compliance matters for small and medium-sized companies. She learned all phases of civil litigation, from discovery and law and motion, to depositions and trial preparation, and trials and appeals. She also did transactional work for business clients and reviewed insurance contracts for coverage opinions. 

 

When she moved to northern California, she joined the faculty of McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento as a full-time Legal Process Instructor and taught legal research, analysis, writing, and oral advocacy. She worked to bridge the gap between learning and application so that students could successfully apply their knowledge and skills in a working environment.      

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Her career path turned toward criminal law when she went to work for the California District Attorneys Association as the Director of Publications and Legal Education Director. She was responsible for developing, editing, and publishing books, training manuals, and periodicals for all prosecutors in California’s 58 counties. These publications covered topics such as sentencing enhancements for gun use, juvenile delinquency, gang prosecutions, and the Three Strikes Law.   

 

Finding herself missing the courtroom, she returned to the practice of law as a Staff Attorney with Sacramento Child Advocates, where she represented children placed in the foster care system. She fought to protect children from abuse; to have special educational, health, and counseling services provided for them; and to ensure that they were zealously represented in juvenile delinquency matters.

 

Ms. Saria handles writs and appeals for Saria & Saria.  

 

Update: Ms. Saria resigned from Saria & Saria in 2019 and is now practicing dependency law with a non-profit law firm.