Academy Chambers

Sarah W. S. Lau
LLB (Hons), LLM (International Commercial Law)
Call: 1998 Lincoln’s Inn

Background

Sarah graduated in Law from the University of Leicester in 1997. She was called to the Bar by Lincoln’s Inn in October 1998. She went on to obtain a Masters degree in International Commercial Law from the University of Nottingham in 1999 before commencing pupillage in Queens Chambers in Manchester. She spent 5 years practising in Manchester before joining Academy Chambers in October 2005.

Sarah speaks fluent Mandarin, Cantonese and Foochow. During her time in Manchester she served as a Trustee on the Management Committee of the Wai Yin Chinese Women’s Society and advised on the setting up of the first ever Chinese Law Centre in the area to provide legal advice to the Chinese and other Ethnic Minority Communities in Greater Manchester.

Sarah is a member of the Northern Circuit Free Representation Unit (NCFRU) and won the inaugural circuit Pro Bono Award in 2000 for her professional services under the scheme.

Areas Of Practice

Civil | Commercial | Landlord and Tenant | Immigration | Employment

Civil

Sarah accepts instructions for Fast Track and Multi-track cases in the County Court for personal injury cases. She covers all aspects of personal injury work, from road traffic accidents, including mechanical defect and causation issues, accidents at work, "slips and trips", and injuries caused by defective products.She represents both claimants and defendants. She is instructed by a number of insurers, as well as undertaking a considerable volume of work funded privately. She also accepts instructions involving contractual disputes, winding up applications and consumer credit litigation.

Commercial Law

Sarah undertakes a wide range of commercial litigation, including commercial contracts; sale & carriage of goods; supply of goods & services; companies; partnerships; corporate & personal insolvency; guarantees; passing off, intellectual property and confidentiality; competition; conflict of laws.

Landlord and Tenant

Sarah covers all aspects of litigation and advisory work relating to business, residential and agricultural tenancies including security of tenure, possession claims, forfeiture, unlawful eviction, dilapidations, leasehold enfranchisement, rent control and review, service charges, business tenancy renewals under Part II of the 1954 Act together with all aspects of housing law.

Immigration

Sarah acts for appellants across the spectrum of Immigration law, specializing in asylum and human rights cases. She appears regularly before the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) in both asylum and immigration cases. Much of her work includes advice on all other areas of immigration from application through to litigation. Sarah has considerable experience advising on work permit, business, naturalisation and nationality issues, as well as on visitor, student, family and settlement cases.

Employment

Sarah has expertise in appellate and first instance work, and acts for both employers and employees. Her clients range from individual employees and directors to major private and public sector organisations. Her areas of specialism include Unfair and Wrongful dismissal, all forms of Discrimination, Transfer of Undertakings, Equal Pay Claims and Redundancy Claims.

Family

Sarah has appeared on behalf of Applicants and Respondents in Contact, Residence, Parental Responsibility Applications at the Magistrates and County Court. She is a member of the Northern Circuit Family Bar Association.