Expertise

Sarah is an APIL accredited fatal accident specialist lawyer and acts for bereaved families and survivors of aviation accidents in civil claims, often involving jurisdictional arguments, issues of foreign law and the application of international conventions. She has acted in major air disasters and fatal helicopter and light aircraft accidents in the UK, Europe and worldwide. She supports families through official accident investigations and coroner’s inquests.

Recognition

Sarah is ranked in Band 1 in Chambers & Partners and as a Leading Individual in Legal 500.

Chambers:

• “the leading plaintiff aviation solicitor in the UK”
• “absolutely brilliant”
• “a delight to work with”
• “very diligent, dedicated and client-focused”
• “caring and compassionate”
• “an excellent lawyer. She is very technical and exceptionally driven by the best interest of her clients”

Legal 500:

• “hugely experienced, a tough opponent who always fights hard for her clients”
• “client focused, tenacious and rightly ranked as a leading individual”

Experience

Highlights of Sarah’s career include:

• Acting for passengers onboard Singapore Airlines who were seriously injured in severe turbulence in May 2024.
• Acting for bereaved families and passengers onboard Precision Air, which crashed into Lake Victoria in 2022.
• Acting for the family of Leicester City Football Club Chairman, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha in their fatal accident product liability claim arising out of a private helicopter crash at the LCFC ground in 2018 and the coroner’s inquest.
• Acting for the families of the Shoreham Airshow disaster in both their civil claims and the inquest.
• Acting for the claimant in the landmark case of Rogers v Hoyle in which the Court of Appeal held that air accident investigation reports produced by the Department of Transport are admissible in civil proceedings.

Foreign Jurisdictions

Sarah has global experience in cases across Europe including France (AF447, R44), Netherlands (MH17), Portugal (Shah), Republic of Ireland (Manx 2), Spain (Spanair, S61, R44). She has represented families in cases across Africa (Kenya (KQ507), Republic of Congo (CASA), South Africa (Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771) and Tanzania (Precision Air PW494). In Asia cases include AirAsia QZ8501, Lion Air JT610, Garuda GA200, Garuda GA152, Adam Air KI574, Adam Air KI292, Qantas QF72, and Malaysia Airlines MH370. In the Americas they include Argentina (Flying America), Brazil (GOL Flight 1907), Cuba (Aerocaribbean Flight 883), Honduras (TACA Airlines Flight 390), Las Vegas (BA2276), and Peru (HeliCusco).

Career

Sarah qualified into personal injury litigation in 1997 and joined Stewarts in 2002. She moved to the Aviation team when it was set up in 2006 and became partner in 2007.

Accreditations and Memberships

• American Association of Justice
• Pan European Organisation of Personal Injury Lawyers
• Association of Personal Injury Lawyers

Publications

Sarah presents as part of the MSc in Aviation Safety at Cranfield University, regularly speaks at conference events and has appeared on radio and TV.

Personal

Sarah is married with four children. She regularly runs and cycles. She enjoys singing in her local community choir.