Sara Butcher

Sara Butcher is an estate planning attorney with Butcher & Smith Law, LLC in Portland, Oregon. She has worked solely in estate planning and administration since 2004 after beginning her career as a trial attorney. Her practice includes wills, trusts, durable powers of attorney, probate, trust administration, guardianships, conservatorships, estate tax planning, and agreements addressing premarital or domestic partnership matters.

Butcher earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Oregon School of Law in 1997 and a B.A. in Political Science and Psychology from the University of Oregon in 1992. Her legal training and years of focused estate work support a practical approach to planning for incapacity, transferring assets, administering estates, and addressing Oregon and federal estate tax considerations. She uses that background to tailor plans to each client’s circumstances.

Her work includes comprehensive planning for high-net-worth individuals as well as clients with more modest estates. Butcher regularly handles multigenerational planning, second-marriage planning, incapacity and disability planning, probate and trust administration, and disputes involving wills or trusts. She also assists with guardianship and conservatorship proceedings. This experience allows her to address both advance planning and the legal steps that arise after a death or incapacity.

Sara Butcher is active in organizations connected to estate planning and the legal profession, including the American Bar Association, Oregon State Bar sections, Multnomah County Bar Association, Oregon Women Lawyers, and Women in Financial Services. She has also written and presented on estate planning topics. Her practice emphasizes personalized planning, careful administration, and clear guidance for individuals and families facing important financial and legal decisions.

Law Office Affiliations

• Attorney, Butcher & Smith Law, LLC
• Member, Oregon State Bar
• Member, American Bar Association – Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section
• Member, Oregon State Bar – Tax, Estate Planning, Elder Law, and Sustainable Future sections
• Member, Multnomah County Bar Association
• Member, Oregon Women Lawyers
• Attorney volunteer, Oregon Legal Aid, Senior Law Project
• Member, Women in Financial Services
• Neighborhood Coordinator, Friends of Trees

Licensed State

• Oregon

Education

• University of Oregon School of Law
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• University of Oregon
  Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Political Science and Psychology

Awards & Badges