Sarah McEachern has extensive experience in all aspects of commercial arbitration. She focuses her practice on resolving complex disputes in the commercial, construction, mining, health, and energy sectors. She has expertise in both domestic and international disputes and has acted or advised on proceedings under the rules of the ICC, ICDR, UNCITRAL, ADRIC, AAA, SCC, HKIAC, and VanIAC.

Sarah is a partner based out of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP’s Vancouver office where she is the regional manager of commercial and construction disputes. She is one of 12 inaugural arbitrators on Arbitration Place’s NextGen arbitrator roster and was appointed by the British Columbian government as a roster member for BC’s Dispute Resolution and Bid Protest Mechanism under the New West Partnership Trade Agreement and the Canadian Free Trade Agreement.

She has received national and international recognition by clients and peers as a leading practitioner in dispute resolution and arbitration in particular. She is recognized as a National Leader in Arbitration in Canada, 2020 (Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration) and since 2018 as a Future Leader. She is recognized as a Star (and previously a Rising Star) in the Lexpert Guides. In 2020 she was the recipient of a Lexpert Rising Star (previously known as Top 40 under 40). She has also been recognized in 2020 (and since 2017) by Benchmark Canada.

She writes and presents frequently on topics related to arbitration and co-authored the guide Technology Resources for Arbitration Practitioners on the IBA’s website. She has a particular interest in running arbitrators efficiently and using technology to move towards greener arbitration practices.

Sarah recently (2019/2020) acted as sole arbitrator in a dispute between Chinese and American parties seated in California under the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Rules. She is an inaugural arbitrator on Arbitration Place’s NextGen Arbitration Roster (2021) and a director of the Vancouver International Arbitration Centre (VanIAC). In 2021, she was appointed by the Government of British Columbia to serve a five-year term as a roster member for BC’s Bid Protest Mechanism and Dispute Resolution panels established under the Canadian Free Trade Agreement and the New West Partnership Trade Agreement.

She has a working knowledge of French and Spanish and has studied international arbitration in Hong Kong (University of Hong Kong) as well as Singapore (Singapore International Arbitration Academy). She has also completed arbitrator training with the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR).

• Director, Vancouver International Arbitration Centre (VanIAC)
• Advisory Board Member, Young Canadian Arbitration Practitioners (YCAP)
• Steering Committee, IBA Arb40
• Vice-Chair, North American Sub-committee, Campaign for Greener Arbitrations
• Steering Committee, Young Attorneys in Dispute Resolution (Y-ADR, CPR) (until 2020)
• Regional Co-Representative for North America, Young International Arbitration Group (YIAG/LCIA) (until 2019)
• Editorial Board, Commercial Litigation and Arbitration Review

JD, University of Toronto, 2007
BA, (Hons., with Distinction) University of Victoria, 2003
International Baccalaureate, Lester B. Pearson United World College, 1999
Licensed to Practice Law in British Columbia, 2008