Sara is a Partner in our commercial and intellectual property (IP) team.
Based out of our Leeds office, Sara leads our IP practice across Yorkshire. She deals with both contractual and litigious IP issues, advising across all areas of IP including trade mark and design right registrations as well as commercial agreements, GDPR compliance, licensing, transactions and dispute management.
Sara is also experienced in carrying out due diligence exercises for large international IP portfolios. If you’re looking to buy or sell a brand or patent portfolio, it’s critical to understand its true value and ensure that the proper protections are in place.
As well as working in private practice, Sara has worked as in-house counsel for the Pentland Group, dealing with French brands Lacoste, Kickers and Luc Berjen as well as IP disputes for brands including Speedo, Red or Dead and Berghaus. She has also worked for Sports World (now Sports Direct) and Lonsdale London.
Working in-house gave Sara first-hand knowledge of when to prioritise commercial issues over legal ones and how IP issues affect businesses in reality. She has built in-depth knowledge across a range of specialist markets and works to maximise the value of IP assets while minimising risks, whether in the UK or internationally.
Sara qualified in 1994 while training at a niche London-based IP and litigation firm. She holds the highly regarded postgraduate diploma in intellectual property law and went on to run her own practice, where she was known by her clients as ‘Lightning Ludlam’ for her ability to achieve quick results.
Sara joined us in 2023.
