Sarah has wide experience in all aspects of major litigation, handling complex and substantial commercial disputes of a varied nature and often involving multiple jurisdictions. She also has many years of experience in advising on investigations.
Sarah has a strong record of achieving successful outcomes for banks, financial institutions, major corporates, international organisations as well as governmental bodies.
Sarah was formerly Head of the Disputes and Investigations Group at Slaughter and May.
Highlights include advising:
- Essex County Council in a factually complex, technically intricate commercial dispute relating to the construction and commissioning of a multimillion pound waste treatment facility by a joint venture between an international waste management company and a leading international infrastructure company.
- Mercuria Energy Europe Trading (a global energy and commodities group) in relation to claims brought against it and its co-defendant the Royal Bank of Scotland, arising out of missing trader VAT in the carbon emissions market (colloquially known as “carousel fraud”).
- A major corporate client in respect of the acquisition and use of confidential and highly sensitive commercial information by a competitor to the detriment of the client. The case involves a variety of causes of action including breaches of the Competition Act 1998.
- A leading wealth manager in respect of its cross-border regulatory, contractual, tortious and fiduciary obligations following the mis-selling of unsuitable investments resulting in significant losses.
- A group of senior non-executive directors of a publicly listed company in the context of an investigation by the SFO into alleged accounting irregularities.
- A leading insurance investment vehicle in relation to an FCA inquiry into the timing of an announcement to the market and compliance with the Disclosure and Transparency Rules.
‘Sarah Lee is the ideal partner to have on a client's side in a crisis; she is masterfully calm and practical'. Legal500 UK 2020, Commercial Litigation
Sarah Lee is described as a 'tough litigator' Legal500 UK 2019, Competition Litigation
Sarah Lee is acknowledged for her significant practice advising corporate clients on their litigation matters. Sources state that she is “a high-quality litigator” who is “very knowledgeable.” Chambers UK 2020 – Contentious Tax
Sarah is recognised by Legal500 as a Leading Individual in Commercial Litigation, Financial Services (Contentious) and Banking Litigation: Investment and Retail and also in the Hall of Fame for Tax Litigation and Investigations and Commercial Litigation. Sarah is ranked by Chambers UK for Contentious Tax.
Sarah is named on the EMpower 100 Ethnic Minorities Executives 2019 Number 28.
Sarah is a professional member representative on the Judicial Appointments Commission, the independent body which has responsibility for selecting judges for the Courts and Tribunals of England and Wales. She is also a CEDR mediator.