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Sarah Gunton is one of our commercial partners. She joined Harper James in 2016 and comes with a rich pedigree in providing expert commercial services for her clients.
Having trained with Edge & Ellison, Sarah later moved to DLA, becoming a partner in their commercial team. She has also worked in-house in the waste industry.
Sarah advises a wide range of businesses on commercial matters such as:
- Standard terms and conditions
- Drafting, amending and advising on contracts
- Analysing contractual positions
- Information technology contracts
- Supply arrangements to complex outsourcing agreements
- Completing commercial due diligence
- Negotiating ancillary agreements
She combines a deep and detailed knowledge of the law with clear and practical advice for her clients.
Since qualifying as a solicitor in 1994, Sarah has acted for clients in a range of industries, with significant experience in:
- Technology, especially software, videogames and apps, digital commerce and biotech
- Creative industries. including media, entertainment & publishing, advertising and marketing
- Life sciences and healthcare, specifically biotech and medical devices, and public procurement
- Public sector, including local government, central government, public procurement, state aid and projects like PFI, PP and PF2
- Retail, fashion and consumer goods
- Manufacturing, including industrial products and food & drink/agribusiness
- Hospitality, travel and leisure
What Inspired You To Get Into Law?
I left Hertford College, Oxford with a History degree in 1989. One fifth of my final exams related to a huge bundle of documents from a ten year period in the eighteenth century. That was what gave me a taste for detailed review and analysis and accurate use of language. Add that to my obsession with fairness (I have three younger siblings) and you have a born lawyer.
What Is The Most Rewarding Aspect Of Your Role?
Making sure that everyone in a contractual arrangement gets the best possible deal – and has a contract which works and which reflects the intentions of the parties.
What Do You Do Away From Work/Outside The Office?
I manage my two unruly children, use organic methods to grow vegetables and cook up weird and wonderful things with them.
Sarah shares more about her journey into law and proudest career moments in our Spotlight on a Solicitor series. Read the interview to hear about her life in law.
TESTIMONIALS
What our clients say
We pride ourselves on delivering an excellent service for clients, but don’t just take our word for it.
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
As an on-demand client with Harper James Solicitors 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
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
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
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
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
Our solicitor Sarah has been fantastic, as have Stephen and Adam.
Mark Grenside
Co-Founder,
Dragonfly Biosciences
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
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