Dr Sarah Munro

Experience

• 

  Special Court for Sierra Leone

  Jan 2012 - Apr 2012

  Intern

  • Collaborated with Trial Chamber judges and legal advisors on former Liberian President Charles Taylor judgment, the first sitting Head of State to be indicted for war crimes since World War II.• Comparatively researched law on mens rea of accused from other international criminal legal tribunals, applied this to evidence and drafted this section of judgment.• Drafted witness credibility findings.• Edited and proof read final judgment.

• 

  Brachot

  Jul 2012 - Aug 2012

  Intern

  • Researched law and assessed evidence in High Court Missing Trader Intra Community fraud case.• Trained on CaseMap software.

• 

  Miscarriages of Justice Organisation

  Aug 2012 - Dec 2012

  Intern

  • Systematised process of initial client assessment and next steps.• Read correspondence and communicated with clients and families.• Attended appeal hearings.

• 

  JUSTICE Scotland

  Sept 2012 - Jan 2013

  Administrator/Researcher

  • Involved in setting up JUSTICE Scotland.• Submitted funding applications; took minutes of meetings; and acted as a conduit between the headquarters in London and the new Scottish branch.• Orchestrated first - now annual - Human Rights Day Lecture.• Researched and responded to government consultations and draft legislation concerning the criminal and civil justice systems, specifically JUSTICE Scotland's response to the Scottish Government's consultation on 'Reforming Scots Criminal Law and Practice: The Carloway Report.' • Provided receptionist and clerical support to (now) summary sheriff Tony Kelly in his law firm, Taylor & Kelly. Show less

• 

  University of Lincoln

  Oct 2013 - Jun 2014

  Hourly Paid Lecturer

  • Lectured classes of up to 60 students on EU Law, a Qualifying Law Degree foundation subject.• Designed lecture materials; taught seminars; and marked formative and summative assessments.• Introduced online learning platform to to drive learning objectives and promote engagement.• Provided pastoral guidance and advised students on academic paths and course content.• End of year surveys revealed extremely high levels of student satisfaction.

• 

  Balfour+Manson LLP

  Aug 2017 - Aug 2019

  Trainee Solicitor

  Employment Law (6 months)• Successfully appeared in a maternity discrimination case before the Employment Tribunal.• Assisted in litigation against Glasgow City Council concerning the worker status of foster carers.• Presented at a breakfast seminar on the duties of charities as employers.• Drafted legal advice for employers and employees on, inter alia, disciplinary hearings; unfair and constructive dismissal; redundancy; sexual harassment; age discrimination; data protection; and restrictive covenants.• Negotiated, drafted and reviewed employment contracts and settlement agreements.Property Law (6 months)• Led client meetings and was responsible for my own case load.• Took clients through every step in the conveyancing process, whether buying or selling a property. This included making and accepting offers; reviewing title deeds and reporting on title; and drafting, negotiating and concluding missives.• Assisted clients with discharges of mortgages.Public Law, Judicial Review and Human Rights (7 months)• Assisted in multiple judicial reviews before the Court of Session concerning, inter alia, undercover policing; Serco's 'lock-change policy;' immigration law; environmental law; and planning and development.• Contributed towards the preliminary reference to the Court of Justice of the European Union which determined that Article 50 TEU could be unilaterally revoked.• Researched and provided written advice to clients on, inter alia, ecclesiastical law; the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission; social care; and licensing.• Instructed experts.• Prepared court bundles.• Lodged documents in the Court of Session and Sheriff Court.• Successfully appeared in Simple Procedure and Ordinary Cause actions in the Sheriff Court.• Crowd funded and applied for legal aid to fund cases.Maternity Leave (5 months)• The firm was sufficiently satisfied with my progress and discharged my training contract whilst on maternity leave. Show less

• 

  Livingstone Brown

  Feb 2020 - now

  Solicitor in the Criminal Litigation Practice Unit, working in Private Crime.

  • Associate

    Dec 2020 - now

  • Solicitor

    Feb 2020 - Dec 2020