Sarah E. C. Malia, MS, JD
Sarah is an elder law attorney, fiduciary, collaborator, and educator. Since 2006 she has advocated for and served clients in the elder law realm, sharing her holistic approach to unraveling life’s tangles. Sarah has extensive training and experience in elder and family law and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) processes. She has worked “in the trenches” as a court-appointed or private agent in various fiduciary capacities since 2008.
Sarah graduated with honors with a B.S. in Family Studies and a minor in Cinema Studies from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville (UTK) in 1999. She received her J.D. in Law and M.S. in Family Studies from the University of Missouri-Columbia (Mizzou) in 2005. Sarah loved Mizzou, but Tennessee is home, so she returned in 2006 and took and passed the Bar that same year. (Essays still were all handwritten then, and no-one is sure how she passed given her notoriously messy penmanship.)
Although Sarah has worked for a few estate planning firms, notably with Anne McKinney and Victoria Tillman and later with Elder Law of East Tennessee, she mainly developed her own solo legal practice over the years. Fiduciary services quickly became a key aspect early on, first as a court-appointed guardian ad litem in Chancery and Juvenile Courts, then branching out to serve as an ongoing conservator or personal representative starting in 2008. Sarah’s practice grew by word of mouth, often by referrals from other attorneys recognizing their clients needed a non-corporate professional for various reasons. Sarah has been referred to as “Switzerland,” a neutral outsider, by some.
Sarah’s background in family studies (kissin’ kin to sociology and psychology) impacts her client interviewing style and assessment of people’s values, goals, underlying concerns, and available options in planning and when navigating systems while managing life’s changes. In addition to her legal work, Sarah taught part-time from 2011-2023 in the Child & Family Studies Department (CFS) at UTK, mostly with Sarah’s not-so-retired tenured mother who used to teach the same introductory social science survey course, allowing students to observe real life mother-daughter interactions that often illustrated family dynamics concepts being covered. Basic legal education topics also were incorporated in Sarah’s classes related to estate planning, elder and family law, and public policy given their critical relevance to families and communities. Sarah’s father also had joined the same department as an instructor and then administrator after retiring from TVA, which meant that from 1991 through 2023, at least one Malia was a member of CFS, including time periods where two or all three were tasked simultaneously to cover certain department responsibilities. In total Malias provided about fifty years of service. CFS has since disbanded, reorganized into other divisions. Time inevitably means change.
“Life is a series of twists and turns.
I help unravel the tangles.”
In obvious and subtle ways Sarah follows in the footsteps of her beloved parents, Drs. James and Julia Malia, retired UTK professors and community activists. Her parents both became trained mediators in the 1980s in Iowa and were a part of a select group of local folks who helped establish Knoxville’s Community Mediation Center in the 1990s. Growing up in such a family meant Sarah absorbed negotiation and conflict management skills practically before she learned to walk. And she has honed them as an adult through formal trainings and work experience and continues to gather new learnings as unique challenges arise.
Sarah embraces her parents’ legacy of valuing curiosity, education, personal empowerment, and giving back to community through service. In that vein, in addition to her UTK work, Sarah has led presentations about basic legal education and elder law topics for community organizations geared toward professionals or the general public. Requests to speak at group events or conferences are welcome. Sarah also has volunteered for various worthy nonprofits—local, national, and international—aiding in their efforts, stepping up to assist with tasks when gaps are noted, and identifying process changes to consider for the benefit of staff and recipients. Not infrequently, she has been asked, sooner or later, to serve on nonprofit boards or policy committees.
Since summer 2020, Sarah has had the privilege of leading a small team of experienced estate planners supervising law students in UTK’s Wills Clinic, providing pro bono legal services for eligible East Tennessee community members. Around the same time, Sarah and Miranda met at an O’Connor Senior Center community event while Sarah was cleaning up pancake syrup messes. Given their shared interests, a friendship and mentorship blossomed, which led to becoming affiliated associates after Miranda was licensed. By 2025 they decided it was time to establish a law firm partnership together. In 2024, Miranda also became eligible to officially co-teach with Sarah as joint supervisors for the Wills Clinic. Sarah and Miranda have forged a strong legal and fiduciary team, helping folks in Eastern Tennessee in diverse ways.
As an elder law attorney and educator, Sarah believes that self-care is critical and tries to practice what she preaches, even when health setbacks post covid have required adaptation and slowing down to accommodate. The difficulties enhance Sarah’s empathy further for clients’ health challenges. Granting herself some grace while the roller coaster of life unfolds, however, is an ongoing effort.
In relation, Sarah and her family embraced tai chi and qigong practice years ago as the activities provide excellent health and social benefits for folks of all ages and levels of ableness. Sarah has practiced various forms over time and was certified in Tai Chi for Arthritis through Dr. Paul Lam’s global network (distinct from Taoist Society’s approach). For local folks age 55 and up who want to try either or both, tai chi and qigong weekly sessions are available at the O’Connor Senior Center. Jim Malia leads both classes.
Last but not least, Sarah is blessed to be Sweet Sophie’s adopted hooman. Sophia Malia is a super-mutt dog (truly) who wiggled her way into Sarah’s heart and family.