Sarah Al-Zhyri

Legal/Administrative Assistant

Sarah conducts research and prepares, proofs, and formats briefs, comment letters, and other critical materials. She sends and tracks Tennessee Public Records Act and Freedom of Information Act requests. Her work also involves submitting expense reports and coordinating development, travel arrangements, and associate attorney hiring. Prior to SELC, she worked as a paralegal handling civil litigation often related to municipality and land-use law.

“I am motivated to work with underserved communities to fight back against industrial pollution, and to be on the frontline of the transition to clean, renewable energy,” she said. “I appreciate SELC’s work, like the Byhalia Pipeline, in which we help a community burdened by pollution through an environmental justice perspective. I also enjoy the litigation side of our work in which we tackle the nation’s biggest polluters.”

Sarah grew up in Joelton in middle Tennessee between Clarksville and her current home in Nashville. The Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center in Chattanooga is a special place for her for its wildflowers, trails, and wildlife conservation efforts.

Previous experience

• Taylor, Pigue, Marchetti and Blair, PLLC, paralegal
• Earthjustice, intern
• Tennessee Legislature, Senate Committee on Energy, Agriculture, and Natural Resources, intern
• Law Office of Dr. Merriel Bullock-Neal, intern
• Montgomery County Disproportionate Minority Contact Task Force, intern
• 8th and 9th Annual Conferences on Juvenile Justice, intern
• B.S., Austin Peay State University, magna cum laude
• With SELC since 2021