Sarah Parker
Call: 2016
Practice Overview
Sarah has a broad practice across Chambers’ areas of expertise. Her academic and career experience make her well-suited to complex matters encompassing intersecting legal and commercial issues.
Sarah’s experience includes cases involving unjust enrichment, breach of trust, dishonest assistance, knowing receipt, conspiracy, insolvency and bankruptcy, commercial disputes, business interruption insurance, authorised push payment fraud, limitation and privilege. She has been involved in applications for injunctive relief, as well as various procedural matters. Sarah has also assisted in cases with an international element raising conflict of laws issues.
Sarah was recently instructed as part of the legal team acting for the Republic of Mozambique in the so-called “Tuna Bond Scandal”, a US$2bn Commercial Court matter against a number of parties including Credit Suisse, VTB and Privinvest.
Sarah’s background in business means she brings practical business experience and sound commercial sense to her cases. Before joining 3VB, Sarah was co-founder and Managing Director of a company supplying software as a service to the voluntary sector.
Sarah is a member of the Society for Computers and Law.
Commercial Disputes
- Advising a savings and investment company on legal matters to inform a commercial decision (sole counsel).
- Acting for the assignee of the claims of a company in administration for repayment of sums drawn down from the company by a former director (sole counsel).
- Acting for the defendant Bank in a claim relating to a professional practice loan following the collapse of Halliwells LLP. Claim dismissed, counterclaim allowed, and contractual costs awarded to the bank (sole counsel).
- Instructed as part of wider legal teams in the early stages of various substantial commercial disputes.
- Drafting pleadings in various claims for restitution on the grounds of unjust enrichment (sole counsel).
- Etihad Airways PJSC v Air Berlin – Court of Appeal 2020. €2bn airline financing dispute, jurisdiction battle (as a pupil assisting Adam Kramer).
- Winlink Marketing Ltd v Liverpool Football Club & Athletic Grounds Ltd [2020] EWHC 2271 (Comm) – claim for commission against a premiership football club relating to a sponsorship deal (as a pupil assisting William Day and Andrew Sutcliffe QC).
- ROVOP v Atlantic Marine (2020) – Acting for the manufacturer and supplier of submersible remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) in mandatory injunction proceedings for the delivery up of an ROV and ancillary relief (as a pupil assisting Philip Hinks).
Banking and Finance
- Acting for the Bank in proceedings relating to enforcement of a director’s personal guarantee (sole counsel).
- Acting, as part of the legal team, for the Republic of Mozambique in the so-called “Tuna Bond Scandal”, a US$2bn Commercial Court matter against a number of parties including Credit Suisse, VTB and Privinvest.
- Lynch v Aldermore Bank [2022] EWHC 3050 (Ch). Acting for the Bank in its appeal against the decision of Chief ICC Judge Briggs to overturn a trustee in bankruptcy’s admission of a proof of debt based on a bank guarantee (led by Ian Wilson KC).
- Acting for the defendant Bank in a claim relating to a professional practice loan following the collapse of Halliwells LLP. Claim dismissed, counterclaim allowed, and contractual costs awarded to the bank (sole counsel).
- Acting for a receiving bank in a claim arising out of a push payment fraud (as a pupil assisting Adam Kramer).
- Broomhead v National Westminster Bank – acting on behalf of a bank to resist a claim that an earlier judgment dismissing a £17m claim made by a customer was tainted by fraud (as a pupil assisting Charlotte Eborall).
- Lombard North Central plc v European SkyJets Limited and others [2020] EWHC 679 (QB) – appeal in relation to a first instance refusal to set aside a default judgment concerning the validity of a default notice (as a pupil assisting Charlotte Eborall).
Civil Fraud
- Acting, as part of the legal team, for the Republic of Mozambique in the so-called “Tuna Bond Scandal”, a US$2bn Commercial Court matter against a number of parties including Credit Suisse, VTB and Privinvest.
- Drafting pleadings in various claims for restitution on the grounds of unjust enrichment (sole counsel).
- Acting for a receiving bank in a claim arising out of a push payment fraud (as a pupil assisting Adam Kramer).
Arbitration
- LCIA arbitration concerning a privatization in the gambling sector (as a pupil assisting Judy Fu).
- LCIA arbitration involving the energy sector in Africa (as a pupil assisting Adam Kramer and Judy Fu).
Energy, Natural Resources and Infrastructure
- LCIA arbitration involving the energy sector in Africa (as a pupil assisting Adam Kramer and Judy Fu).
Insolvency and Bankruptcy
- Acting for the assignee of the claims of a company in administration for repayment of sums drawn down from the company by a former director (sole counsel).
- Lynch v Aldermore Bank [2022] EWHC 3050 (Ch). Acting for the Bank in its appeal against the decision of Chief ICC Judge Briggs to overturn a trustee in bankruptcy’s admission of a proof of debt based on a bank guarantee (led by Ian Wilson KC).
Insurance and Reinsurance
- Covid-19 business interruption insurance test case – Commercial Court [2020] EWHC 2448 (Comm) and Supreme Court [2021] AC 649 (as a pupil assisting Adam Kramer).
Career
Before coming to the Bar, Sarah had a career in IT as co-founder and managing director of a company providing software as a service to the voluntary sector.
Prior to joining Chambers, Sarah worked as a law reporter at the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales (ICLR) in the Chancery Division team where she regularly attended court to cover High Court and Court of Appeal cases. She contributed law reports to the Law Reports, the Weekly Law Reports, Business Law Reports, the Public & Third Sector Law Reports and Industrial Cases Reports.
Sarah has a background in philosophy having completed a PhD in inter-disciplinary philosophy of mind which considered the role of emotion in human rationality. After completing her doctorate, Sarah also worked as Assistant Curator at a university museum where she undertook research in the history of zoology.