Spotlight on Evelyn Sahr
March 21, 2022
Evelyn Sahr is Chair of Eckert Seamans’ Aviation practice. She was raised in northern Virginia as the eldest of three children, and virtually everyone in her family is a teacher. She met her husband in the elevator of the Justice Department, where they both worked. They raised two children in Bethesda, Maryland, neither of whom are lawyers or teachers!
Evelyn is a widely respected expert in aviation law. She is Co-Chair of the American Bar Association’s Forum on Air and Space Law Committee on Consumer Protection and Antitrust, is past President of the Washington, D.C.-based International Aviation Club, and is regularly recognized in Chambers USA for her national work in Transportation Law. Evelyn regularly represents foreign and domestic airlines and other transportation entities before a myriad of federal agencies. Her representation includes obtaining licenses and other operational authorizations from U.S. regulatory agencies for passenger and cargo service providers, advising on foreign ownership requirements, code sharing, open skies, passenger rights and tarmac delays, preparing regulatory comments and handling safety, security, and advertising enforcement proceedings. Previously, Evelyn was a trial and appellate attorney with the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Q&A
What was your favorite vacation?
Hands down Italy
What song instantly puts you in a good mood?
“Carolina in My Mind” by James Taylor and “Heard It In A Love Song” by The Marshall Tucker Band
What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
I like Bachelor in Paradise
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A journalist — I majored in journalism (and economics) at UNC
What former job have you had that would surprise people?
Drug clerk at a pharmacy
When I was a newbie lawyer
I spent about six hours fretting over how to draft a certificate of service
The last TV show I binge-watched was
Only Murders in the Building
If I weren’t a lawyer, I’d be
An architect
On weekends
I love to hike, read, and garden
The talent I wish I had is
To play piano and guitar and to be able to sing
Three people I’d invite to dinner are
Paul McCartney, Nancy Pelosi, and Michael Jordan
In view of Women’s History Month, who is a woman you admire and why?
Katherine Johnson, the American mathematician whose calculations of orbital mechanics as a NASA employee were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S.-crewed spaceflights. She calculated launch windows and emergency return paths for Alan Shepard and John Glenn. I am amazed she was able to pursue a successful career in math as an African American woman in the 1950s and 1960s. I was very good at math as a little girl but never knew I could earn a living in math.