Name
Sarah Clarke KC
Job Title
Serjeants’ Inn Chambers
Speaker Bio
Sarah Clarke KC is listed in Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 as a Leader in the Field in Financial Services Law (Band 1) and Corporate and commercial Fraud, Professional Discipline and Inquests. She won the Women and Diversity in Law Award 2023. She was shortlisted for Financial Services Silk of the Year (Legal 500) in 2022, 2023 and 2024 and Corporate Crime (2025).
Sarah is an expert in Market Abuse and has conducted most of the UK’s insider dealing prosecutions, acting both for and against the FCA including a number of current cases.. She has a varied practice which encompasses insider dealing, market abuse, investment fraud, money laundering, corruption and FCA Enforcement litigation (acting for the FCA, PRA, Bank of England, SFO and also on behalf of corporates and individuals). Sarah also acts in a broad range of disciplinary proceedings and inquests. She recently acted for Jean Noel Alba, the CEO of H2O in enforcement proceedings arising out of H2O’s relationship with Lars Windhoerst. She also acted for Louise Whitestone in the RDC, Upper Tribunal, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in the long running litigation arising out of Julius Baer International’s relationship with the Yukos Oil Group. The FCA was unsuccessful at every stage including being made subject to a costs order on the grounds of its unreasonable conduct of the Upper Tribunal proceedings.
She is currently instructed in the motor finance litigation, acting for the Finance and Leasing Association who represent most of the major lenders and made a successful intervention application in the Court of Appeal proceedings in respect of the JR brought by Clydesdale Bank against the FOS.
She also acted for Devon and Cornwall Police in its successful account forfeiture proceedings against Andrew and Tristan Tate.
Sarah is also an experienced public lawyer who is currently instructed in several financial services related JR proceedings against the FCA and the FOS. She is also instructed in JR proceedings against the police and other bodies.
Sarah has extensive experience of Non-Financial Misconduct in all regulatory spheres. She acted for the FCA in the seminal case of Frensham v FCA and advised the FCA on the Oday litigation and amendments to its handbook which are currently the subject of consultation. She routinely deals with these cases in her financial services practice and also for and against other regulators including the SRA, the BSB and the GMC. She is experienced at dealing with sensitive investigations and cases and vulnerable witnesses and was one of the creators of the Advocacy and the Vulnerable training for the legal profession.
The second edition of her book ‘Insider Dealing: Law and Practice’ is published by Oxford University Press. It is widely regarded as the leading practitioner’s textbook on this subject and is used nationally and internationally.
Sarah is an expert in Market Abuse and has conducted most of the UK’s insider dealing prosecutions, acting both for and against the FCA including a number of current cases.. She has a varied practice which encompasses insider dealing, market abuse, investment fraud, money laundering, corruption and FCA Enforcement litigation (acting for the FCA, PRA, Bank of England, SFO and also on behalf of corporates and individuals). Sarah also acts in a broad range of disciplinary proceedings and inquests. She recently acted for Jean Noel Alba, the CEO of H2O in enforcement proceedings arising out of H2O’s relationship with Lars Windhoerst. She also acted for Louise Whitestone in the RDC, Upper Tribunal, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in the long running litigation arising out of Julius Baer International’s relationship with the Yukos Oil Group. The FCA was unsuccessful at every stage including being made subject to a costs order on the grounds of its unreasonable conduct of the Upper Tribunal proceedings.
She is currently instructed in the motor finance litigation, acting for the Finance and Leasing Association who represent most of the major lenders and made a successful intervention application in the Court of Appeal proceedings in respect of the JR brought by Clydesdale Bank against the FOS.
She also acted for Devon and Cornwall Police in its successful account forfeiture proceedings against Andrew and Tristan Tate.
Sarah is also an experienced public lawyer who is currently instructed in several financial services related JR proceedings against the FCA and the FOS. She is also instructed in JR proceedings against the police and other bodies.
Sarah has extensive experience of Non-Financial Misconduct in all regulatory spheres. She acted for the FCA in the seminal case of Frensham v FCA and advised the FCA on the Oday litigation and amendments to its handbook which are currently the subject of consultation. She routinely deals with these cases in her financial services practice and also for and against other regulators including the SRA, the BSB and the GMC. She is experienced at dealing with sensitive investigations and cases and vulnerable witnesses and was one of the creators of the Advocacy and the Vulnerable training for the legal profession.
The second edition of her book ‘Insider Dealing: Law and Practice’ is published by Oxford University Press. It is widely regarded as the leading practitioner’s textbook on this subject and is used nationally and internationally.