Road Traffic Accidents

Sarah undertakes a significant amount of work arising from road traffic accidents, acting for both Claimants and Defendants in fast track and multi track cases. She undertakes all aspects of court work, drafting, advisory work and costs arguments. Sarah is happy to undertake such work on a conditional fee agreement basis.

Inquests

Sarah regularly appears in Coroners Courts in relation to road traffic accidents, accidents at work and medical negligence cases. She also undertakes drafting in relation to fatal accident schedules of loss.

Public, Product & Occupiers Liability

Sarah regularly advises in Public, Product and Occupiers Liability claims and appears on behalf of both Claimants and Defendants in such matters. She has a wide range of experience of claims under the Occupiers Liability Act, the Highways Act and the Defective Premises Act.

Employers Liability

Sarah acts for both employers and employees in relation to workplace related accidents. She has a significant paperwork practice in relation to drafting schedules and counter schedules of loss for such claims. Sarah undertakes a wide range of cases involving the 6 pack regulations, in addition to advising on all matters, including Part 36 offers and costs.

Sarah has an established practice in education law with significant experience in both the First Tier and Upper Tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) and is regularly instructed on behalf of local authorities and governing bodies of schools and colleges.

Sarah’s practice regularly includes advising and acting in the following areas:

• Special educational needs
• EHCP appeals
• Admissions and Exclusions
• Professional disciplinary matters
• Disability discrimination in an educational setting
• Judicial review and statutory appeals

Sarah is able to advise, represent and provide training to local authorities, schools, academies, colleges and universities on all education law matters.

Employment

Sarah undertakes a wide range of employment litigation in courts, tribunals and through mediation. Her employment tribunal practice encompasses claims for unfair and wrongful dismissal, all aspects of discrimination, TUPE, whistle blowing, redundancy, unlawful deduction claims and claims involving agency workers. She regularly appears in Tribunals both at first instance and appellate level.

Sarah is a member of the credit hire team. She represents both Claimants and Defendants in complex high value claims. She regularly deals with motor fraud cases, raising arguments relating to LVI, staged accidents, phantom passengers and causation. She is also frequently involved in claims involving the MIB.

Sarah is experienced at dealing with Costs and Case Management Hearings and detailed assessments.

‘Sarah obtained an excellent result and ensured a huge reduction in the Claimant’s damages through her skilful cross-examination.

Thank you so much for all the hard work and well done!’

‘The Client was incredibly satisfied with the quality of the work done by Counsel, as was I, and I am certain we will have need of her services again in the future’

‘Sarah successfully represented our company in a three day hearing and obtained a costs order against the Claimant, which we understand is rare in an Employment Tribunal. We were very pleased with her performance and would definitely instruct her again’

PIBA, Employment Lawyers Association, Industrial Law Society

Recently Concluded Cases

Personal Injury:

• Advised in a high value fatal accident claim in respect of a patient who had suffered a pulmonary embolism and subsequently died as a result of medical negligence.
• Won a multi-track trial for a Claimant, involving the interpretation of Dawkins v Carnival plc in an Occupier’s Liability case where a Defendant failed to discharge an evidential burden that the accident did not happen through want of care on their part.
• Successfully reduced a Claimant’s cost budget in excess of £100,000 by more than half at a Cost and Case Management hearing.

Employment Law: Currently involved in long standing litigation regarding the interpretation of the Deduction from Wages (Limitation) Regulation 2014 in a multiple claim, in particular regarding the effect of the cases of Sash Window Workshop Ltd v King and NHS Leeds v Larner. Sarah is currently advising whether employees are permitted to claim back-dated holiday pay for more than one year, whether they can carry over holiday entitlement and whether a Simmons v Castle 10% uplift should be applied for injury to feelings claims in the Employment Tribunal.

LLB (Hons) 2:1 Law with French Law, Diploma in French Law - Université de Montpellier, Stage at the Paris Bar.