Sara K. Orr is a writer whose work explores ambition, purpose and what it means to build a meaningful life.
For over two decades, Sara practiced environmental law at Latham & Watkins and was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis. Her legal work primarily focused on the energy industry, including the financing of energy projects on five continents. One of her most cherished professional accomplishments was receiving Latham’s Best Supervisor Award multiple years in a row, a reflection of how much she enjoyed mentorship and leadership.
Armed with degrees from Harvard (psychology), University of Michigan (law) and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (English literature), Sara brings an interdisciplinary lens to questions of how ambitious people create meaningful lives.
Her debut novel follows a female founder torn between her best friend and their billionaire angel investor as they race to take their jewelry company public. It’s a story about friendship, loyalty, ambition and resilience. She is currently at work on two additional manuscripts that explore inheritance, identity and second acts.
Sara writes fiction and nonfiction about the questions raised during her decades of high-achievement: How do we build lives that matter? What role do work, relationships, service and our connection with nature play in sustaining us? And what happens when we choose to redefine success on different terms?
After years of city living in Chicago and Washington, DC, Sara now resides in the Chicago suburbs with her pets. When not writing or reading, she volunteers with animals and devotes herself to Aunting her niece and five nephews.
