ABOUT Sara Youngdahl

Of Counsel to Doyle Dennis Avery LLP

Of Counsel to Doyle Dennis Avery LLP
Phone: (281) 996-0750

ABOUT

Sara Youngdahl is proud to be the only woman in the United States designated as legal counsel for a rail union.

Sara Youngdahl’s work representing injured railroad workers for over 20 years has led her to proudly serve as the only woman in the United States selected to be Designated Legal Counsel for a rail union.

Ms. Youngdahl has recovered six and seven figure resolutions for railroaders and their families who have been involved in crossing collisions; as well as cases involving the railroads’ violations of the Locomotive Inspection Act, Safety Appliance Act, and related federal regulations governing safety.

Ms. Youngdahl serves on the Academy of Rail Labor Attorneys (ARLA) Board of Managers, and is Designated Legal Counsel (DLC) for the Sheet Metal Air Rail Transportation union (SMART).

Ms. Youngdahl has handled hundreds of Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) cases for injured railroad workers either resolved by settlement or tried to verdict. She has represented generations of injured railroad workers in cases involving chemical exposure, serious bodily injury, and death

Ms. Youngdahl comes from a family of union organizers and lawyers representing working people all over this country. Dedication to values such as fair wages, the right to organize, equal access to justice, and the notion that railroads must honor their legal and ethical obligations has been the cornerstone of Ms. Youngdahl’s practice

Active in her community, Ms. Youngdahl is an American Leadership Forum (ALF) Senior Fellow and served on the Executive Committee for the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF).

Employment

  • Managing Partner, The Youngdahl Law Firm, P.C. (2003-Present)
  • Provost Umphrey, L.L.P./ Youngdahl & Sadin, P.C. (2001-2003)
  • Associate and Intern, Youngdahl & Sadin, P.C. (1997-2001)
  • United States District Court, Southern District of Texas, Houston Texas – Legal Intern to Federal Magistrate Judge Nancy K. Johnson (1997)

Education

  • J.D., South Texas College of Law (1998) – Highest Honors: Toxic Torts, Legal Research and Writing
  • M.S.W., Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri (1990)
  • B.A., University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico (1986)

Rail Designations

  • Only Woman in the United States Designated to Represent Rail Unions
  • Designated Counsel, SMART/United Transportation Union (UTU)

Legal Practice Areas

  • Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA)
  • Personal Injury
  • Complex Civil Litigation
  • Labor
  • Consumer Protection

Bar Admissions

  • Texas
  • U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas
  • U.S. District Court Eastern District of Texas
  • U.S. District Court Western District of Texas

Affiliations

  • Academy of Rail Labor Attorneys
  • American Association for Justice
  • Texas Trial Lawyers Association
  • State Bar of Texas
  • Houston Texas Lawyers Association
  • American Rail Labor Academy- Board of Managers

Publications

  • Protect Yourself – Protect Your Family – “The Personal Injury Report: One of the Most Important Documents in Your FELA Case”
  • LexisNexis – “Overview of Emerging Issues in FELA Law Cases”