Profile
Sarah S. (Sally) Oldham partnered with Arnold Rutkin in 1994 to form Rutkin & Oldham, L.L.C., a boutique family and matrimonial law firm. Prior to her career joining the firm, attorney Oldham was a psychologist who worked within the Connecticut public school system and also had her own private practice. Her background in psychology greatly benefits her clients. Attorney Oldham has extensive experience handling all types of domestic relations matters such as marriage dissolutions, dividing complex financial assets, and contested child custody and visitation proceedings. She also serves as a special master for family matters in the Connecticut court system. Attorney Oldham has co-authored publications with attorney Rutkin, and has authored several additional articles on family law topics. She has been selected by her fellow attorneys for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America annually since 2006, and she was named one of Connecticut's Top 25 Female Lawyers in 2006. She was also selected as one of “Ten Leaders in Matrimonial & Divorce Law” in Connecticut, and she is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating available by this peer-review rating system.
About Sarah Oldham
Law School: University of Connecticut School of Law
Admitted: 1988, Connecticut
Professional Webpage: www.rutkinoldham.com/who_we_are/attorneys/Oldham.html
Honors and Awards:
- AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell
- Selected as one of “Ten Leaders in Matrimonial & Divorce Law” in Connecticut
- Connecticut's Top 25 Female Lawyers for 2006
Bar/Professional Activity:
- Member, Family Law Section of the Connecticut Bar Association
- Founding and Life Member of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Foundation
- Chair, National Test Sub-Committee of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
- Fellow, International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
- Fellow, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
- Ten Leaders 2008 - Present
- "New York Area's Best Lawyers" 2007-present
- Connecticut Magazine "Best Lawyers" Top 25 Female Lawyers, 2007-present
- Listed: Best Lawyers in America, 2005-present
- Board of Editors, Connecticut Family Lawyer, 1994-2000
- Member, Connecticut Law Review, 1986-1988
- International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (Member, Board of Managers, USA Chapter, 2007)
- Fairfield County and American Bar Associations, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (Chair, National Test Committee, 2005; Member, Board of Managers, Connecticut Chapter, 2006)
- Co-Chair, Post-Majority Support Committee, Family Law Section, 1993-1994
- Continuing Legal Education, 2001-2002; Chair-Elect, 2002-2003; Chair, 2003-2004
- Connecticut Bar Association (Member, Executive Committee of the Family Law Section, 1993; Treasurer, 1999-2000; Secretary, 2000-2001)
- Connecticut, 1988
- Southern District of New York, 1989
- U.S. District Court, 1989
- Co-chair: Biennial Seminar for the Connecticut Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers., 2005
Scholarly Lectures and Writings:
- Lecturer, "Utility of psychological testing in custody cases" at the joint conference of the ABA Family Law Section and the American Psychological Association
- Lecturer, "An Overview of Property Division and Spousal Support Regimes in the U.S.", IAML Annual Meeting, Queenstown, NZ, September 2010
- Lecturer, Lecturer, ABA-APA Conference, "Psychological Testing in Cases of Disputed Custody," April, 2008
- Lecturer, "Complex Issues in Family Law Cases" or "How to Handle Tricky Questions and Sticky Situations," April, 2005
- Lecturer, "The Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement (UCCJEA)," June, 2003
- Lecturer, "Pensions and Divorce: How to Avoid the Pitfalls of Dealing with Pensions in Divorce," May 2, 2002
- Lecturer, "Effective Litigation of Mental Health Professionals in Family Cases," March 28, 2001
- Lecturer, Connecticut Bar Association: "Relocation Issues After Ireland v. Ireland," September 10, 1999
- Author: Connecticut Practice Series, Co-Author: "Family Law and Practice," (2 vols.) West Publishing Co., 1999-2000
- Author: "Distributing Executive Compensation Benefits," The Family Advocate, Winter, 2001
- Author: "Recent Appellate Decisions," Connecticut Family Lawyer, Fall, 1997
- Author: "Recent Appellate Developments," Connecticut Family Lawyer, Spring, 1995
- Author: "Post-Majority Support: The Statute Explained," Connecticut Family Lawyer, Fall 1993
Verdicts and Settlements:
- Hines v. St. Vincent's Medical Center 232 Conn. 632, 657 A2d 578 (1995)
- Ireland v. Ireland, 246 Conn. 413 (1998)
- Wendt v. Wendt, 59 Conn. App. 656 (2000), cert. denied 255 Conn. 918 (2000)
Other Outstanding Achievements:
- Private pilot, licensed since 1980
- Attorney Oldham was co-counsel (with Attorney Rutkin) in the precedent-setting case of Wendt v. Wendt, which made national headlines and set a legal precedent regarding the way that courts view the financial arrangements in marriage – especially when there are significant assets involved.
Educational Background:
- Southern Connecticut State College, M.S., School Psychology, 1974, magna cum laude
- Wesleyan University, B.S., cum laude, 1972, cum laude
profile