Sarah Cooper

A key member of our Commercial Litigation team, Sarah advises on a wide variety of litigation matters including debt recovery, guardianships, contract and property disputes.  Sarah also has broad advocacy experience, appearing in Sheriff Courts across Scotland, before regulatory bodies, such as Licensing Boards and Fitness to Practice committees, and before the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber). 

Sarah has a particular interest in housing law and is regularly instructed by both private and social housing landlords.  In particular, Sarah acts routinely for housing associations and has in-depth knowledgeable of the recent legal changes facing the social housing sector.  Sarah’s knowledge allows her to provide practical advice to landlords on how to navigate issues which may arise, such as, notices to tenants, evictions, lease terms, conversion of SSST/SST tenancies, anti-social behaviour, disrepair, tenancy succession and assignation.  Sarah also provides in-house training to housing association staff and legal opinions on the housing duties of social housing landlords with regards to temporary accommodation and homelessness.   

Sarah also has an interest in regulatory work and has successfully defended numerous clients where they have received a complaint about their fitness to practise in a particular sector.  Sarah has experience of representing individuals before the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), the Nursing and Midwifery Council, General Teaching Council for Scotland and General Dental Council.    Sarah has also advised upon numerous licensing matters and educational matters, such as school placing appeals, and a variety of issues arising out of education legislation, at each of school, further and higher education level. 

Sarah studied law at the University of Stirling and received her Diploma in Professional Legal Practice from the University of Aberdeen. She also holds a Master of Laws (LLM) in International Commercial Law from the University of Dundee and a Master of Laws in Business and Legal Ethics from the University of Cergy-Pontoise in Paris.

Sarah also has broad academic legal experience. She lectured in law at the University of Abertay and the University of Cergy-Pontoise prior to entering the profession and was previously a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.