Sarah Garvey
Counsel
London
Sarah Garvey
Counsel
London
Contact details
Sarah is a highly regarded disputes lawyer with extensive experience representing clients before the English High Court and in London arbitration proceedings.
She handles complex UK and cross-border commercial disputes, with particular expertise in litigating shareholder disputes, post M&A disputes, jurisdiction disputes and disputes involving state immunity issues. Sarah also has a strong advisory practice and regularly works with transaction teams to provide clients with advice on topics such as governing law, jurisdiction, immunity, exclusion and limitation clauses and arbitration.
Sarah is described as “one of the best lawyers around” and “she is brilliant, and great to work with. Her case management is particularly impressive, since she always seems to know exactly which cogs are turning in the litigation at any given moment, but combines this with good humour.” (Legal 500 UK, 2023)
Sarah is widely recognised as an industry expert on private international law. She sits on the Lord Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Private International Law, chaired by Lord Mance. Sarah is a former Chair of the Law Society's Private International Law group.
Expertise
Practices
Investigations, Enforcement and Business Crime
Qualifications
Professional
Called to Bar, England and Wales, 1994
Admitted as solicitor, England and Wales, 1998
Academic
BA (Hons) History, Queens' College, University of Cambridge
CPE (Law Conversion Course), City University, London
Bar vocational course, London
Related articles
Publications: 17 March 2023
States have unlimited capacity: Law Debenture v Ukraine
Foreign states formally recognised by the UK government have unlimited capacity, the UK Supreme Court has confirmed, in a significant decision in long running litigation between a trustee for…
Publications: 19 January 2023
Cross-border enforcement of judgments in the post-Brexit age: a glimmer of light on the horizon?
Publications: 12 July 2022
Expertise
Practices
Investigations, Enforcement and Business Crime
Qualifications
Professional
Called to Bar, England and Wales, 1994
Admitted as solicitor, England and Wales, 1998
Academic
BA (Hons) History, Queens' College, University of Cambridge
CPE (Law Conversion Course), City University, London
Bar vocational course, London
Experience highlights
Acting for majority shareholders in a high tech company, defending an unfair prejudice petition brought against them by minority shareholders resulting in a four week virtual trial in the Companies’ court.
Acting for the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the EU in proceedings before the English High Court and the General Court of the Court of Justice against the Republic of Syria for non-repayment of loans, resulting in judgments for in excess of 360m euros.
Acting for a global financial institution in proceedings to appoint a receiver to hold funds for the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV) given conflicting claims to act for the BCV. An appeal in these proceedings is due to be heard by the Supreme Court in 2021.
