Sarah has 12 years' experience of advising clients on European Union (EU) and international trade law and policy. Her particular areas of exposure include: agriculture, food and drink industry regulation; market access barriers; customs matters; anti-dumping proceedings; and the negotiation, interpretation and enforcement of international trade agreements.

Sarah's experience is derived from more than five years at DLA Piper’s offices in London and Washington DC and from her former roles as: an international trade negotiator at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva; an international trade consultant at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris; and a senior official at two European trade associations.

Sarah holds: a Bachelor of Laws (LLB); a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration (BCA) majoring in Commercial Law and Public Policy; and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) majoring in Politics from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.

The EU and International Trade Practice of which Sarah is a founding member was ranked Number 1 for EU, Trade, WTO, Anti-Dumping and Customs by Legal 500 in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.

Key experience

• Advising companies on EU customs matters relating to ATA carnets, Temporary Admission, Rules of Origin, Authorised Economic Operator status, Centralised Clearance and Customs Code modernisation
• Assisting companies to obtain preferential EU market access, including temporary duty suspensions, tariff quotas for imports and inward processing relief
• Advising companies in the agriculture, food and drink industries on Common Agricultural Policy-related matters; import / export arrangements; and EU regulations governing product composition, packaging, labelling and marketing
• Advising agri-food, financial services, mining and telecommunications companies on remedies that may be available to them under bilateral trade treaties and the provisions of various WTO Agreements
• Developing lobbying plans to influence EU regulatory proposals and administrative decisions affecting companies in the agri-food, audiovisual, aviation, chemicals, postal services, renewable energy and telecommunications sectors
• Advising companies on EU anti-dumping proceedings, including European importers of compact fluorescent lamps, polyethylene terephthalate, steel and strawberries, and Chinese exporters of steel fasteners and network equipment
• Advising companies on EU export controls and sanctions programmes, including manufacturers of dual-use equipment and technology, and providers of financial services, nuclear intelligence and insurance
• Providing four foreign governments with strategic advice to inform their ongoing bilateral trade agreement negotiations with the EU
• Drafting trade and investment-related legislation for foreign governments, including laws to create free trade zones, govern inwards investment and manage tariff quotas for imports

Publications

Sarah's articles on EU and international trade regulation and policy have been published by: Agra Europe (UK); Aljazeera.net (UAE); The Daily Star (Lebanon); The Financial Times (UK); The National (UAE); The OECD (Paris); The Telegraph (UK); Thomson Reuters (UK); and World Finance (UK).