Sarah Morton-Ramwell is a partner, and global head of our pro bono practice and social impact programme
With a background in human rights, gender rights and reproductive rights, Sarah leads Ashurst's global pro bono practice and global social impact programme, and is a qualified lawyer in both Australia (NSW) and England & Wales.
Sarah advises leading global and local non-profit organisations, charities, social enterprises and individuals experiencing marginalisation and disadvantage. Sarah sits on the boards of the Australian Pro Bono Centre and an independent school in Sydney. She is a member of the Centre for Social Impact's Sydney Advisory Council, ActionAid's Arise Leadership Circle and is a former Chair of the International Bar Association Pro Bono Committee. Sarah also sits on the Business Council of Australia's Indigenous Engagement Taskforce and is Chair of Ashurst's Reconciliation Action Plan Leadership Circle. Sarah is a member of the Association of Pro Bono Counsel and was named in the Institute of Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability's first group of Fellows in 2016. She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and sits on Ashurst's Risk Committee. Sarah helped to create the UK Collaborative Plan, which set an aspirational pro bono hours target for UK firms and aims to improve access to justice for people experiencing disadvantage. Sarah has spoken extensively on pro bono, social impact, access to justice and ESG, and holds a Master of Studies in Sustainability Leadership from the University of Cambridge.
Sarah was named as the Qantas Australian Woman of the Year in the UK in 2014. In 2016, Sarah was named as one of the Australian Financial Review and Westpac's 100 Women of Influence, and won the 'Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year' award at the Lawyers Weekly Women in Law Awards. In 2021, Sarah won the 'Pro Bono Partner of the Year' award at the Lawyers Weekly Partner of the Year Awards and was named in Australasian Lawyer as one of their 'Elite Women of 2021'.