Sarah began her career with Russell McVeagh and became a partner at the firm in 2006. Sarah was named the representative of large law firms on the New Zealand Law Society council in 2019, and she also currently serves as Co-Chair of Russell McVeagh's Diversity Committee. She has previously been Chair of Russell McVeagh's Partnership.
Her experience includes working as a senior associate in another New Zealand law firm and working in the European Competition and Regulatory team at a magic circle firm in London.
Last year, Sarah presented on Plurality and Privacy at the annual RBB Economics Sydney conference and at the 29th annual workshop for the Competition Law and Policy Institute of NZ on 'Consumer Analytica: New Zealand Consumer Law Application to International Developments in Privacy and Use of Data'. Sarah also presented alongside Corporate Partner Ian Beaumont for a CPD session on Cartel allegations in capital raising underwrites – what can we learn from the ACCC's recent charges?
Additionally, Sarah presented to a number of different audiences in 2017 including to the Law and Economics Association of New Zealand on 'Lessons Learned from Sky-Vodafone', and participating in a panel on the topic of drip pricing at the Commerce Commission's 'Competition Matters' Conference, as well as on wider professional development topics, such as the ADLSi's "Finding Your Way" webinar.
Sarah is the only New Zealander ranked as a Star Individual in Competition and Antitrust by Chambers and Partners Asia-Pacific 2021, making her one of the highest ranked competition lawyers in the country.
Additionally, Sarah is recognised by the Legal 500 as a leading lawyer in Competition Law. She was rated New Zealand Competition Lawyer of the Year by the International Law Office Client Choice Awards in both 2016 and 2018, and was also named the 2019 Global 100 'Competition and Regulatory Lawyer of the Year' in New Zealand. She was ranked as a market-leading lawyer in the 2019 Asialaw Profiles , a distinguished practitioner in Competition and Antitrust Law by AsiaLaw 2020 and also ranked in Expert Guides 2019. Sarah was voted by her peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers® 2021 in the field of Competition and Consumer Law and awarded 'Lawyer of the Year' for this category in 2020. Sarah is recognised as one of only two thought leaders for New Zealand in Who's Who Legal's Competition Thought Leaders 2020 publication.
She has previously presented to a group of competition law agencies in the IPF, in association with ASEAN, on the subject of Regulator Cooperation between the ACCC and NZCC, and in the American Bar Association 'World of Monopolies' series on 'The Basics of Abuse of Dominance in Australia, Canada and New Zealand in 2013.
Publications