Sarah Williams is CEO of IMPEL, a collective of independent music publishers who jointly license digital services. She is also an independent music lawyer. Over her career, her wide range of interests and focus on the bigger picture have led to a unique set of skills covering law, politics, conflict resolution and the non-profit sector.

Sarah was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1986 and to the California Bar in 1990. She has worked in the music and entertainment field since 1992 when, at the height of the Acid House/Techno/House revolution she started advising a number of dance labels.

Always independent-minded, Sarah has run own legal and business affairs consultancy (Big Picture Legal) from offices in Birmingham, Manchester and London. Over the years she has represented an eclectic range of clients including artists, creators, labels, publishers, promoters, distributors, film and TV production companies and other media businesses within the creative industries. Publishing emerged as a particular area of expertise and Sarah has consulted for leading publishers such as SonyATV, Universal, Warner/Chappell and Concord. She has also worked with the MPA group, particular on issues of governance and EU compliance.

In 2003, Sarah took a sabbatical from her legal career to study in the US as a Rotary Peace Fellow. She holds a Bachelors degree in law (Bristol University) and Masters degrees in international law (London School of Economics), political science (UC Berkeley) and international studies (UC Berkeley).