Meet Sarah Del Rio: Actor & Paralegal

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sarah Del Rio and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarah, how do you think about risk?
Everything is risk. You risk changing or you risk staying the same. My favorite verse of my favorite song is “Say after me, it’s no better to be safe than sorry.” It hits me every time. Risk has been essential to my growth. It was a risk for me to move my family to Denver to pursue my acting career. The safe choice would have been to stay in my small town, where I went to high school, where my parents were close by to help with my kids, where I had an ok job that paid the bills. But the way I saw it, there was risk in choosing the safe route, too. Would I be happy choosing the safe route? Would I have regret for not at least trying? Ultimately, I the risk of change, left my job and moved to Denver. I now hold six “Best Actress” awards and have had the pleasure of being on set with Payton and Eli Manning, among others. I am also a two-time bodybuilding bikini champion. If I hadn’t taken the risk of signing up for a competition when I was nowhere near in-shape, I would have never met one of my best friends and mentor, Pamela Maass. When she started her own law firm, I decided to take another risk and left my position of six years to join her firm. Of course, COVID-19 shut down the world two weeks later. It should have been a scary time but because I had taken the risk, I was able to be home with my children, running the firm from a virtual office. To date, the virtual set up has worked out so well for our clients, we may never go back to an office. Looking back, the risks I’ve taken have always paid off even if they initially felt like failures. I would taken then again and again and I’m looking forward to my next risk….law school. 

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve always been intrigued by so many stories of former attorneys leaving their practices to be actors, abandoning law school for the big screen. It seems like law and acting are somehow intertwined. As it happens, both my acting career and paralegal career began around the same time, in 2004. I started out as an administrative assistant in a firm that practiced family law, with absolutely no knowledge of law at all. Five months in to the position, as we were closing up the office for the New Year holiday, the long-time paralegal packed up her stuff and quit. No notice. She didn’t even tell our boss, who was dealing with personal tragedies at the time, that she was quitting. My boss and I had an awkward conversation a few days later and I took over as paralegal. I stayed at that firm for four years, until I packed my family up and moved to Denver to be closer to my stunt team and acting scene. What sets me apart from others in my field is my adaptability. I can step into any law office, under any circumstance, in any area of practice and operate like I’ve always been there. It just comes naturally to me. While most paralegals stick to one area of law, I’m versed in 7 different areas and counting. Currently, as the Client Services Director and Sr. Paralegal for Maass Law, an estate planning law firm, I’m very proud of the education and level of service we provide our clients. As mothers and adventurers that love exploring everything Colorado has to offer, both Pamela and I realize the importance of having a will or a trust in place to protect our families and our clients and their families. We are striving to bust the myth that a trust is only necessary for the “financially wealthy”. If you own a home, own a business, and/or have children, what more wealth can you ask for? We can do everything virtually, which eliminated the need for our clients to hire sitters or leave their home during these times. We also provide free educational webinars which answer a multitude of questions that most people have about wills and trusts.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We would definitely do a 14er! Mt. Evans would be a good place to start. Next, a drive to Breckinridge would be necessary. We would take a short hike to Isak Heartstone and then walk around town and hit the little shops. Next, we’d head back to Castle Rock for some mountain biking at Hidden Mesa. Then off to 105 West Brewery for some beers. I would definitely make time to show off Red Rocks with some morning yoga. They’d probably need it after all the hiking and biking.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Shout out to my agency Big Fish Talent for such an always providing support and so many amazing opportunities! To Pamela Maass a.k.a. Pam-Bella, who has been an amazing friend, associate and mentor. You are inspirational beyond words!

Website: Lifelegacyfirm.com
Instagram: Sarah_bellaxxvii
Linkedin: Sarah Del Rio
Facebook: Sarah Bella

Image Credits
Steve Peterson