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 TN Bar that same year. (Essays were handwritten still then, and no-one is quite 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 by some as “Switzerland,” the neutral outsider.
“Life is a series of twists and turns.
I (now we!) help unravel the tangles.”
Sarah embraces her family’s 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 over the years 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 a nonprofit’s board or policy committee.
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. Starting in 2024, Miranda joined on as co-instructor as well as continuing to manage Wills Clinic intakes.
Shared interests and a friendship between Sarah and Miranda led to gaining an affiliated associate after Miranda became licensed. By 2025 they decided it was time to establish an official law partnership together. Sarah and Miranda have forged a strong legal and fiduciary team, helping folks in Eastern Tennessee in diverse ways, strengthened all the more with Emma Grace joining the firm during the same year.
Last but not least, Sarah is blessed to be Sweet Sophie’s and Munchkin’s adopted hooman. Sophia Malia is a super-mutt dog (truly) who wiggled her way into Sarah’s heart and family during summer 2024. Munchkin Malia strutted into Sarah’s and Sophie’s lives during spring 2026. He is a small, cuddly tyrant. Sarah adores both of her pups. …Oh, and her family and friends too.