Perhaps personified best through Attorney Sarah Donnellan (a family name that needs little introduction to longtime locals), a fifth generation Chippewa Vallian, that history is not lost on her. Recalling her great grandfather’s first steps in the area, arriving by train in Durand and walking miles to settle in Eau Claire, he became part of the logging industry and this community’s earliest chapters. Today, Donnellan continues to serve the community through her work in Social Security disability, estate planning, probate, and the wider array of areas the firm specializes in.

Beyond the unique, diverse range of areas that Poquette, Donnellan & Schlewitz Law serve their clients through, it is the family-centric, honorable Midwestern approach that has made lifelong clients of other locals. It is the privilege of that work that continues to guide the firm, and Donnellan.

“We are a practice that crosses over from estate planning and trusts to probate, to personal injury and workers compensation, to Social Security disability. These areas lend themselves to people with very specific needs, so if you can’t listen to that and to them — really get into somebody else’s shoes — you’re way behind the curve,” Donnellan said.

Her personal experiences supporting people close to her with Social Security disability and more has made Donnellan uniquely qualified to support and fight for others going through similar situations. “It’s just part of being a solid human being in a community that has been so good to me,” she said. “These situations can be heart-wrenching, and I immediately recognize that in other people. This work can truly help people, and it can make all the difference in their world. That’s what I really love — helping people.”

Poquette, Donnellan & Schlewitz was not dubbed the Chippewa Valley’s ‘Local Legal Team’ simply because they work here, but because they live and breathe it.

“We have an open vision of service. If you walk through our door and we can help you, we will knock ourselves out for you as a team,” Donnellan said. “There is no ego. When we need each other to support a client, we are all willing to do that at a drop of a hat.”

To go to someone you likely have never crossed paths with before, like a lawyer, and share what may be some of the most personal or tough moments in life with them is a heavy thing. For this local legal team, it is a weight of importance they carry willingly. “We are very aware that our clients come to us and allow us to work for them. It is a privilege,” Donnellan said.

Donnellan does not foresee a day when she won’t want to come into the downtown Eau Claire office and go to bat for this community, and that is the difference that comes from a generations-deep law firm with family values and a community-oriented mission.

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