Freshfields’ global disputes head Sarah Parkes has always had a clear idea of where she wanted to be. Parkes was intoxicated by the nature of disputes from the moment she was in her litigation seat at the magic circle firm. By her admission, she never really left from the moment she was in it.
Early experiences in court had her punching the air from success and it was this adrenaline rush that propelled her through the firm, making partner in 2008. While the financial world stood on the precipice, Parkes made her name among the partnership as one of its go-to banking litigators.
One of the relationships forged during her nascent days as a partner resulted in her biggest highlight of April 2022. Freshfields’ victory defending JP Morgan against a claim from the Republic of Nigeria ended a long-running dispute and demonstrated why Parkes is such a fulcrum of her firm’s disputes offering. A month later, Parkes was appointed global head of disputes at the firm completing an excellent two months that were years in the making.