Sarah is a commercial solicitor with more than 30 years’ experience helping businesses negotiate contracts, manage commercial risk and reach practical agreements.
She qualified as a solicitor in 1994 and has advised businesses ranging from start-ups to multinational organisations across a wide range of sectors, including heavy industry and technology. Her career has included both private practice and in-house roles, giving her a broad understanding of the commercial pressures clients face and how legal advice needs to work in practice.
Sarah advises on a wide range of commercial matters, including:
- drafting commercial contracts
- negotiating commercial contracts
- reviewing and analysing contractual issues
- explaining complex contractual terms and issues to clients
- structuring complex commercial arrangements so they are clear and workable
- advising on parties’ contractual rights and obligations
- managing contractual risk and protecting clients if a commercial relationship breaks down
- helping parties reach agreement where there are competing commercial positions
Her approach is focused on making complex issues clear and manageable. She works to understand what the client is trying to achieve, identify the issues that genuinely matter and provide practical options that support the commercial objective.
Sarah believes good commercial contracts should create clarity between the parties from the outset. Her focus is on making sure rights, responsibilities and expectations are clearly understood, helping businesses reduce the risk of misunderstandings and disputes later.
She also brings significant experience of resolving difficult contractual issues. Having worked across a broad range of businesses and commercial arrangements, Sarah is often able to draw on previous experience to identify workable solutions and help parties reach agreement without creating unnecessary barriers to a deal.
Alongside her work as a Commercial Partner, Sarah is Harper James’ Quality and Compliance Director. In this role, she oversees the firm’s regulatory compliance and helps ensure clients receive consistently high-quality, good-value legal advice. She also supports the development of lawyers across the firm.
Outside work, Sarah lives in Bedford with her husband and two children. She grows vegetables organically and enjoys cycling and hill walking whenever she can.
“I enjoy bringing clarity and structure to complex issues, so they become straightforward for the client. My aim is always to make the law clear and relevant, so clients can make properly informed commercial decisions.”
TESTIMONIALS
What our clients say
Sarah has been very responsive, gives helpful advice and works to our often tricky deadlines - overall great!
Amy Tindall
In-house Lawyer,
Ello Group Ltd
I'll sum it up in three words: Expertise, versatility and experience
Sarah Enuwhure
Account Manager,
Curva Digital Ltd
Harper James delivers exactly what I want from my lawyers; someone who presents not only the risks and the legal argument but who also understands the commercial side. Take our recent work with Sarah Gunton for example; if we decide we’re going to take on a commercial risk, she’ll adapt the terms for us to do that while reducing the risk as much as possible. The service we get there is like gold dust for us.
Craig Aston
COO,
Celerity Limited
Working with Sarah Gunton has become a vital and very important addition to our commercial activities at Celerity. Her efforts, skills and communication are excellent, along with her drive and flexibility in a constant fast moving commercial world.
Mark Chadwick
Commercial Executive,
Celerity Limited
As an extend client with Harper James I like the assurance of having a legal services provider which is there as and when the business needs it.
Will Richardson
CEO,
Wayland Additive
Everyone we have been lucky enough to work with from Harper James has been utterly professional, extremely responsive and provided solutions and peace of mind - thank you. Sarah and Ruairi especially have been a joy!
Deborah Hunter
Director,
Hunter Ops
Knowing that we have Harper James to help us through complex situations and difficult negotiations is very reassuring. Sarah knows our business inside out and we can rely on her to provide clear and timely commercial advice.
And on the odd occasion that we’ve needed help through a dispute, Ian Carson has always stepped in and dealt with the situation before it gets out of hand.
Nick Thompson
CEO,
One Beyond
Sarah Gunton, through her professionalism, as become a trusted and highly valued member of our team. Her deep understanding of our business and attention to detail is exemplary.
Richard Campbell
Product Engagement Lead,
Agile Business Consortium Limited
The service we’ve received has been excellent. When a customer recently made some minor comments on our terms and conditions, I forwarded them to Sarah and, within a few hours, the answers I needed were sent back.
Nick Thompson
MD,
DCSL Software
Sarah Gunton is phenomenal. It was such a relief to find a colleague who had my back. I could simply forward Sarah an email and say: how do I respond to this? Having an informed second opinion is so valuable – it gives me the confidence to know I am doing this right.
Jo Evershed
CEO,
Cauldron Science
I work principally with two of your solicitors, Sarah Gunton and Ian Carson, who are both exceptional in my view. They have been a huge help to us on many, many occasions... The quality of work is very high and there’s a real sense of humility from Sarah and Ian, they take ownership. I really value this.
Tom Davenport
MD & Co-Founder,
Alvius
Our solicitor Sarah has been fantastic, as have Stephen and Adam.
Mark Grenside
Co-Founder,
Dragonfly Biosciences
Our solicitor Sarah helped us complete a complicated contract with a large multinational ensuring our interests were protected, but got the contract signed in very tight timescales. Sarah was very easy to work with and quickly understood what was important to us and how to effectively present this to our customer.
Mark Webber
MD,
Tinsley Bridge
We have been working with Sarah Gunton for seven years and we honestly don’t think we would be where we are as a business without her guidance.
Samuel Jones
Co-founder, CEO, Software Development Consultant,
Codevate
Excellent response times and quality of responses. Our main contact Sarah Gunton has aligned perfectly with our expectations and way of working.
Lee Church
Bid Director,
Oldham Engineering Ltd
Good fast and responsive support on all legal matters from immigration to commercial contracts.
Gerard Boyce
Director,
Hive Composites Limited
Ease of use, a familiar legal team supporting my business who understand my business, and provide value for money.
Daniel Lawrence
CEO,
Bots For That Ltd
Sarah was great, turned around the request within the promised timeline and gave considered feedback as part of the issues list we requested.
Kim Petzel
Head of Legal,
Char.gy Limited
Sarah was incredibly responsive to my e-mails and was accurate with rough timelines for completion. She was also very approachable and down to earth on an agreement that contains a lot of jargon and isn't that user friendly for people from a non legal background. She also took the time to get to know the purpose the document will be used for to make it accurate and legally binding.
Steph Darrah
Business Development Manager,
Playtonic Limited
Sarah has been very responsive, gives helpful advice and works to our often tricky deadlines - overall great!
Amy Tindall
In-house Lawyer,
Ello Group Ltd
I'll sum it up in three words: Expertise, versatility and experience
Sarah Enuwhure
Account Manager,
Curva Digital Ltd
Harper James delivers exactly what I want from my lawyers; someone who presents not only the risks and the legal argument but who also understands the commercial side. Take our recent work with Sarah Gunton for example; if we decide we’re going to take on a commercial risk, she’ll adapt the terms for us to do that while reducing the risk as much as possible. The service we get there is like gold dust for us.
Craig Aston
COO,
Celerity Limited
Working with Sarah Gunton has become a vital and very important addition to our commercial activities at Celerity. Her efforts, skills and communication are excellent, along with her drive and flexibility in a constant fast moving commercial world.
Mark Chadwick
Commercial Executive,
Celerity Limited
As an extend client with Harper James I like the assurance of having a legal services provider which is there as and when the business needs it.
Will Richardson
CEO,
Wayland Additive
Everyone we have been lucky enough to work with from Harper James has been utterly professional, extremely responsive and provided solutions and peace of mind - thank you. Sarah and Ruairi especially have been a joy!
Deborah Hunter
Director,
Hunter Ops
Knowing that we have Harper James to help us through complex situations and difficult negotiations is very reassuring. Sarah knows our business inside out and we can rely on her to provide clear and timely commercial advice.
And on the odd occasion that we’ve needed help through a dispute, Ian Carson has always stepped in and dealt with the situation before it gets out of hand.
Nick Thompson
CEO,
One Beyond
Sarah Gunton, through her professionalism, as become a trusted and highly valued member of our team. Her deep understanding of our business and attention to detail is exemplary.
Richard Campbell
Product Engagement Lead,
Agile Business Consortium Limited
The service we’ve received has been excellent. When a customer recently made some minor comments on our terms and conditions, I forwarded them to Sarah and, within a few hours, the answers I needed were sent back.
Nick Thompson
MD,
DCSL Software
Sarah Gunton is phenomenal. It was such a relief to find a colleague who had my back. I could simply forward Sarah an email and say: how do I respond to this? Having an informed second opinion is so valuable – it gives me the confidence to know I am doing this right.
Jo Evershed
CEO,
Cauldron Science
I work principally with two of your solicitors, Sarah Gunton and Ian Carson, who are both exceptional in my view. They have been a huge help to us on many, many occasions... The quality of work is very high and there’s a real sense of humility from Sarah and Ian, they take ownership. I really value this.
Tom Davenport
MD & Co-Founder,
Alvius
Our solicitor Sarah has been fantastic, as have Stephen and Adam.
Mark Grenside
Co-Founder,
Dragonfly Biosciences
Our solicitor Sarah helped us complete a complicated contract with a large multinational ensuring our interests were protected, but got the contract signed in very tight timescales. Sarah was very easy to work with and quickly understood what was important to us and how to effectively present this to our customer.
Mark Webber
MD,
Tinsley Bridge
We have been working with Sarah Gunton for seven years and we honestly don’t think we would be where we are as a business without her guidance.
Samuel Jones
Co-founder, CEO, Software Development Consultant,
Codevate
Excellent response times and quality of responses. Our main contact Sarah Gunton has aligned perfectly with our expectations and way of working.
Lee Church
Bid Director,
Oldham Engineering Ltd
Good fast and responsive support on all legal matters from immigration to commercial contracts.
Gerard Boyce
Director,
Hive Composites Limited
Ease of use, a familiar legal team supporting my business who understand my business, and provide value for money.
Daniel Lawrence
CEO,
Bots For That Ltd
Sarah was great, turned around the request within the promised timeline and gave considered feedback as part of the issues list we requested.
Kim Petzel
Head of Legal,
Char.gy Limited
Sarah was incredibly responsive to my e-mails and was accurate with rough timelines for completion. She was also very approachable and down to earth on an agreement that contains a lot of jargon and isn't that user friendly for people from a non legal background. She also took the time to get to know the purpose the document will be used for to make it accurate and legally binding.
Steph Darrah
Business Development Manager,
Playtonic Limited
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