Sarah Dodd

Sarah Dodd is the founder and CEO of Tree Law, the UK’s only law firm dedicated exclusively to legal issues involving trees. With more than two decades of experience in property damage and environmental disputes, Sarah is widely recognised as one of the UK’s leading specialists in tree-related legal matters.

Through Tree Law, she provides expertise and fresh thinking where trees, people and property meet, advising insurers, local authorities, developers and landowners on complex disputes involving tree preservation, subsidence, nuisance and property damage.

Before founding Tree Law in 2021, Sarah spent many years acting for insurers and major corporate clients in complex property damage litigation. This background gives her a strong strategic understanding of risk, liability and dispute resolution in technically demanding cases.

Sarah has also contributed to the development of tree law through strategic litigation. She successfully acted in the Crown Court appeal in Newport City Council v Rands, securing a decision that clarified the correct interpretation of legislation governing offences against protected trees in Wales. The case resolved an important point where the legal position in Wales differed from that in England, establishing authoritative guidance for future enforcement and prosecution of tree protection offences in Wales.

Alongside her legal practice, Sarah is an active thought leader in the field of tree law. She regularly speaks at legal and arboricultural conferences and founded the Tree Law Conference to bring together professionals working at the intersection of law and arboriculture. 

Sarah is the author of A Practical Guide to the Law in Relation to Tree Root Subsidence Claims, a specialist text on one of the most complex areas of property damage litigation.

Sarah’s work has received national recognition. She was named in The Lawyer Hot 100 (2026) for her role in establishing Tree Law and advancing specialist practice in this emerging field.

Her expertise includes:

• Tree-related subsidence and property damage claims

• Tree Preservation Orders and planning enforcement

• Tree-related nuisance and negligence claims

• Criminal offences involving protected trees

• Arboricultural and environmental issues in litigation

• Strategic advice for insurers, local authorities and landowners

Through Tree Law, Sarah is helping shape the future of a rapidly developing legal field ensuring that complex disputes involving trees are approached with both legal rigour and technical understanding.