What does it really mean to be a CEO? It’s a question many founders quietly wrestle with — and one that Sarah Dodd, founder of Tree Law, has recently explored publicly after five years of leading the specialist law firm.
In a recent feature with Pro Arb Magazine, Sarah reflects on the mindset shift required to move from running a business day-to-day to truly stepping into the CEO role.
After nine months of business coaching, she reached a pivotal realisation: for the business to grow, she had to fully embrace leadership at a strategic level.
“I had a mindset change and established that for the business to grow, I have to step into a CEO role.”
Like many founders, the title itself didn’t come easily. Sarah admits it once made her uncomfortable — not because she wasn’t doing the work, but because she hadn’t yet given herself permission to own the role.
“The term used to make me cringe a little bit… I got to a stage where that is the role I have to perform in order to grow the business.”
That shift also required confronting imposter syndrome head-on.
“I went from saying ‘that’s crazy’ and ‘who do I think I am’ to realising I need to set myself CEO objectives to grow into the next level.”
When Sarah shared these reflections on LinkedIn, the response was immediate and striking — engagement tripled, sparking conversations with other business owners who clearly resonated with the same challenges.
Behind the scenes, Tree Law UK has been growing at pace. Over the past year, the firm has expanded from a three-person team to six, with recruitment underway for another solicitor. Stepping into the CEO role has meant redefining Sarah’s relationship with the business itself.
“I’m going from me and the business being the same thing to the business being the business — and me being the CEO of it.”
That separation has enabled greater delegation, stronger systems, and a clearer focus on sustainable growth.
This period of transformation has also coincided with the publication of Sarah’s latest book, A Practical Guide to the Law in Relation to Tree Root Subsidence Claims. Written as a practical resource for the profession, the book now plays a key role internally as well — supporting training and onboarding for new team members and helping to accelerate learning across the firm.
Adding to the momentum, Sarah was recently named in The Lawyer Hot 100 of 2026, a recognition she sees as a milestone not just personally, but for the wider field of tree and environmental law.
“The fact that tree and environmental law has now moved into the mainstream is exactly what I envisioned, and something I’m incredibly proud to have helped shape.”
With plans to grow the team to ten by the end of the year, the future for Tree Law UK is firmly focused on leadership, clarity, and continued impact.
You can read the full article in Pro Arb Magazine here:
https://proarbmagazine.com/tree-law-specialist-on-stepping-into-ceo-role-of-her-own-company/
