Sarah Ford's Full CV   

Qualifications

LLB Law with European Law (2000) (First Class), LLM (Harvard Law School) (2001), Bar Vocational Course (2002)

Practice Profile

Sarah Ford is an able and versatile junior whose practice encompasses EU and Competition Law, Commercial litigation and Public law.

Sarah Ford has advised on and appeared in a wide range of EU and Competition Law matters before the High Court, Court of Appeal, CAT, Competition Commission, CFI and ECJ. She is presently engaged in a series of multi-billion pound disputes before the ECJ and in the Chancery Division concerning the compatibility of various aspects of UK tax legislation and a high profile telecommunications appeal before the CAT and the Competition Commission (led by David Anderson QC and Sarah Lee). She was cited as a leading junior in the field of EU and Competition Law by Chambers & Partners in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Sarah Ford's commercial litigation practice includes advising on and appearing in numerous commercial disputes in the High Court, County Courts and (confidential) arbitrations. She was engaged in aspects of the Buncefield Oil Terminal litigation and is currently junior counsel (led by George Leggatt QC) in a multi-million pound dispute in the Commercial Court and Court of Appeal concerning the sale of interests in an Azerbaijani oil field.

Sarah Ford has been instructed in numerous judicial reviews acting for a diverse range of clients. Her public and administrative law experience includes matters as wide-ranging as human rights, telecommunications and utilities regulation, pharmaceuticals, competition law and immigration and asylum. She was appointed to the Treasury C Panel in 2007. 

Practice areas

Competition and EU Law

Competition

  • Case T-66/01 Imperial Chemical Industries plc v Commission of the European Communities (CFI)
  • Secretary of State for Health & Ors v Norton Healthcare Limited & Ors (Chancery Division)

Telecommunications

  • Case 1085/3/3/07 British Telecommunications plc v Ofcom (CAT and Competition Commission)
  • T Mobile (UK) Limited v Ofcom (BT intervening) (Administrative Court)
  • Cable & Wireless (Cayman Islands) Limited v Information and Communications Technology Authority (Cayman Islands Court of Appeal)
  • Hutchison 3G (UK) Ltd v Office of Communications [2005] CAT 39 (Competition Appeal Tribunal)
  • British Telecommunications Plc v Director General of the Office of Telecommunications [2004] CAT 8 (Competition Appeal Tribunal)
  • Unipart Group Limited v 02 (UK) Limited & Call Connections Limited [2004] EWCA Civ 1034 (Court of Appeal)

Taxation

  • Vodafone 2 v Revenue and Customs Commissioners  [2009] EWCA Civ 446 (Court of Appeal)
  • Marks & Spencer Plc v Revenue & Customs Commissioners [2009] UKFTT 64 (TC)Case C-524/04 Test Claimants in the Thin Cap Group Litigation v Inland Revenue [2007] ECR I-02107 (ECJ and Chancery Division)
  • Case C-446/04 Test Claimants in the FII Group Litigation v Inland Revenue [2006] ECR I-11753 (ECJ); [2008] EWHC 2893 (Ch); (2009) STC 254 (Chancery Division)
  • Case C-128/08 Damseaux (ECJ)
  • Case C-67/08 Block (ECJ)
  • Case C-439/07 KBC Bank v Belgishe Staat (ECJ)

EU

  • Case C-390/07 Commission v United Kingdom (Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive) (ECJ)
  • Poole & Ors v HM Treasury (2006) 2 CLC 865; [2007] 1 All ER (Comm) 255 (Commercial Court)
  • R (Alliance for Natural Health) v Secretary of State for Health [2004] EWHC 405 (Admin) (Administrative Court)

Pharmaceuticals

  • R (Lundbeck) v Licensing Authority (Administrative Court)
  • Case C-452/06 R (Synthon BV) v Licensing Authority & Smithkline Beecham plc [2008] ECR; [2006] EWHC 1759 (ECJ, Administrative Court and Chancery Division)

Commercial litigation

  • Berghoff Trading Limited & Ors v Rosserlane Developments Ltd & Ors [2009] EWCA Civ 413 (Court of Appeal) Nobes v Berghoff Trading Limited (Commercial Court)
  • Colour Quest Limited & Ors v Total Downstream UK plc, Total UK Ltd & HOSL (Buncefield Oil Terminal Incident) (Commercial Court)
  • JEMA Fund Management Limited v Legal & General Assurance Society Limited (Commercial Court)
  • Merlin Unwin Books  Ltd v St Martins Magazines Plc (Central London County Court)
  • CD W-Rap Limited v Virgin Retail Limited (Chancery Division)
  • Interval International Inc. v Eurothermal 2000 KVT (Queen's Bench Division)
  • Network Vehicles Limited v Anglia Asset Management (Slough County Court)
  • Millennium Scaffolding Systems (UK) Limited v Warrant Group plc & Anor (Birmingham Mercantile Court)
  • Guy Turner v Steinhoff UK Holdings Limited (Bristol County Court)
  • Walsh v Staines & Ors (Chancery Division)

Public and administrative law

  • R (on the application of the Government of Bermuda) v The Office of Communications [2008] EWHC 2009 (Admin), [2008] All ER (D) 88 (Aug), (Administrative Court)
  • R (Ware) v Neath Port Talbot Council [2007] EWHC 913 (Admin) (Administrative Court)
  • Norris v Government of the United States of America, The Secretary of State for the Home Department and Bow Street Magistrates' Court [2007] 2 All ER 29 (Divisional Court)
  • R (Lundbeck) v Licensing Authority (Administrative Court)
  • R (Synthon BV) v Licensing Authority & Smithkline Beecham plc [2006] EWHC 1759 (ECJ and Administrative Court)
  • R (Headley) v Parole Board (Administrative Court)
  • R (Singh) v Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport (Administrative Court)
  • R (Khamis) v Secretary of State for the Home Department (Administrative Court)
  • R (Cinar) v Secretary of State (Administrative Court)
  • Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs v Feakins & Hawkins [2005] EWCA Civ 1513, [2006] BPIR 895 (Court of Appeal)
  • R (Scottish Power) v Ofgem & National Grid plc [2005] EWHC 2324 (Admin) (Administrative Court)
  • R (Takeley Parish Council) v Stansted Airport (Administrative Court)

Career

  • Junior Counsel to the Crown C Panel (2007)
  • Called to Cayman Islands Bar (2007)
  • Barrister, Brick Court Chambers (2003 to date)
  • Pupillage: Brick Court Chambers (2002-2003)
  • Called to the Bar: Lincoln's Inn (2002)

Legal Directory Comments

"Fellow junior Sarah Ford matches Demetriou with her "in-depth knowledge and great experience." She has been acting as junior counsel alongside Mark Brealey QC for the defendant Heathrow Airport in a dispute concerning the alleged abuse of a dominant position. This case derived from a ban on the conduct of valet parking activities at Heathrow Airport forecourts." (Chambers UK 2012)

"Sarah Ford, who has been attracting increasing market attention for her "thorough drafting and fine advocacy skills that would put someone years her senior to shame." Recent work highlights for her include acting for BT in its appeal against Ofcom-stipulated call termination charges." (Chambers & Partners 2011)

"...up-and-comer Sarah Ford ... continues to impress with her ‘quick thinking, thoroughness and preparation.' "

"Sarah Ford is a youthful and "very bright" barrister who wins praise for her technical abilities and strong work ethic." (2008)

"...up-and-comer Sarah [Ford] was recommended as someone to keep an eye on in the competition arena, though she was also given credit for her wider European work." (2007)

Publications and Articles

  • Contributor to Civil Appeals: Commercial Cases, XPL Publishing (forthcoming)
  •  ‘The increased aggression of the EC Commission in extraterritorial enforcement of the merger regulation and its impact on transatlantic cooperation in antitrust' 29 Syracuse J. Int'l. L. & Com. 263 (2002)

Professional Membership

  • COMBAR
  • Bar European Group
  • ALBA
  • Competition Law Association

Further Information

  • Cited as Leading Junior in Chambers and Partners in the area of EU and Competition 2007, 2008 and 2009
  • Languages: French and German
  • Other Interests: Scuba diving (IANTD Full trimix, Megalodon Rebreather), Cinema, Literature