Charles Russell Speechlys LLP

Dispute Resolution

Partner

Sara Sheffield is a dispute resolution lawyer based in our Dubai office with extensive experience in complex cross-border commercial litigation and international arbitration as well as financial crime, fraud and asset recovery litigation.

Sara has over 19 years of experience as a commercial disputes, white-collar crime and regulatory disputes lawyer between Australia, England & Wales and the UAE. She joined the Litigation and Dispute resolution team in Dubai in 2020, having been permanently based in the region since 2013. Sara previously worked for the federal prosecution agency in Australia and the Serious Fraud Office in the UK.

Sara acts in complex commercial litigation in the Dubai International Financial Centre and the Abu Dhabi Global Market Courts in the UAE, and in the English High Court, as well as in arbitration matters before local and international centres.

Sara handles a wide range of commercial disputes, often involving cross-border issues, with a focus on:

Shareholder and partnership disputes Financial services disputes Financial crime, fraud, asset-tracing and both civil and criminal recovery actions Contentious insolvency matters Regulatory (e.g. DFSA) investigations Ancillary relief matters including third party disclosure orders and worldwide freezing orders Enforcement matters

Sara sits as a member of the DIFC Courts Rules Sub-Committee (2020 – 2022). She is currently (2023) a Co-Chair of the International Bar Association Asset Recovery Committee, and is also a member of the IBA Litigation Committee and the Fraud Lawyers Association.

Sara received an Honourable Mention for Litigator of The Year at the LexisNexis Women In Law Awards 2022 and is ranked in several directories including Chambers & Partners (‘Up and Coming: Dispute Resolution’) and The Legal 500 (‘Arbitration Powerlist’). Sara is one of few lawyers ranked in Who's Who: Asset Tracing and Recovery UAE consecutively in the years 2018-2023.

Sara is admitted to practice in Australia (Queensland), England & Wales, the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts and the Abu Dhabi Global Markets Courts in the UAE, and the Astana International Financial Centre Courts in Kazakhstan.

English