Hewitt, Melvin L.

About Attorney Sally A. Hestad

Sally earned her BS in Education from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1969, graduating with honors. She went on to earn her MA in French Literature from Syracuse University in 1971, graduating with 3.5/4 average. In 1977, Sally began law school at Syracuse University College of Law. Sally graduated with her JD Degree cum laude in 1980, and successfully passed the bar exam for New York State on the first try. Sally was admitted to practice law in the State of New York in February of 1981. Sally was admitted to practice law in Wisconsin in 1984.

Legal Experience

Sally worked for three years as an associate attorney at Ali, Pappas and Cox, PC. in Syracuse, New York. Sally and her family moved back to Madison, Wisconsin in 1984. Sally taught at the UW Law School in Madison for one year as Assistant Legal Writing Supervisor. In 1986 she was hired by State Farm Insurance where she worked as a claims adjuster for four years.

In 1990, Sally left her position at State Farm to work as an associate attorney at McManus and Sieg, SC, a personal injury law firm located in Oregon, Wisconsin. There she handled a large caseload of plaintiffs' personal injury cases.

In the spring of 1993, Sally leased an office and started Hestad Law Office on a part time basis. By September, 1993, Sally was working full time at Hestad Law Office, handling insurance settlement cases. In 1996, Hestad Law Office relocated to a pleasant West Side office with ample free parking. Since 1993, Hestad Law Office has focused on the needs of persons injured in auto accidents, assisting them to obtain their insurance settlements.

Community and Professional Organizations

Sally is a member of the Wisconsin Bar Association, the Legal Association for Women, the Wisconsin Academy of Trial Lawyers, the American Trial Lawyers Association, the ABA, and the Dane County Bar Association. Sally chairs GIRLS'BIZ, a program which empowers middle school girls to start and run their own business. GIRLS'BIZ is a joint venture of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and the Blackhawk Council of Girl Scouts. Sally is a member of BNI, Business Networking International.

Foreign Language Skills

Hestad Law Office welcomes Hispanic and minority clients who have been involved in auto accidents. We have a staff member who is fluent in Spanish and written materials are available in Spanish. As of 2001, Sally enrolled in her fourth semester of Spanish at MATC in Madison. Sally volunteers as a legal advisor to the staff of Centro Hispano in Madison. She is also a substantial financial contributor to Centro Hispano. Sally also is fluent in French.