Sarah De León
PARTNER

Senior Partner at Headrick since 2003, co-head of its transactional practice and member of the management committee of the firm. Business and corporate law expert with over 27 years of experience working with both local and foreign clients. Ms. De León is recognized for her extensive knowledge in mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, strategic alliances, corporate governance, franchise and distribution relationships, free zones, real estate development, contract negotiation and execution, foreign investment, among others.

Ms. De León brings more than two decades of experience navigating complex and cross-border transactions on behalf of sophisticated clients doing business in the Dominican Republic. She combines keen market insights with bilingual language skills to handle matters across industries. Sarah De Leon has been recognized as a leading practitioner by The Legal 500, Chambers Latin America, IFLR, Latin Lawyer, and is highly renowned for her expertise as a “skilled negotiator” and “praised for her experience and sharp technical knowledge”.

She is a former board member of the Association of Young Businessmen (ANJE) and actively participates in the drafting and review of different laws and regulations. Currently she is co-head of the local chapter of Women in the Profession (WIP-DR Chapter), an empowerment and leadership program for women lawyers of the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice.

Dr. De León received her Bachelor of Laws, Magna Cum Laude, from Universidad Iberoamericana in 1994. A year later, she obtained her LLM in International Business Law from the University of Manchester (England), having been awarded a British Council Chevening Scholarship. She is fluent in Spanish and English and has advanced knowledge of French and Italian.

She has been noted as a corporate law expert, worked pro bono in the review and drafting of Dominican company law and its amendment, has had various speaking engagement on the topic on various forums and is the author of the following publications:

“Vote Right Suppression in Case of Conflict of Interest in a Joint Stock Company” (AMCHAMDR magazine, edition 71, 2022); “Regulation of Conflict of Interests in Corporations” (Ritmo Económico magazine, August 2021); “Measures adopted by the Dominican government in the pandemic: personal view” (Latin Lawyer, June 2020); The new Anti-Money Laundering Law and the Elimination of Bearer and to the Order Titles as well as Final Beneficiary Disclosure Obligations ” (AMCHAMDR July 2017); “General Comments on Simplified Stock Companies” (Gaceta Judicial, 2015); “Corporation´s Shareholders rights under Business Association Law” (Gaceta Judicial 2014); “Simplified Stock Companies (SAS): the most awaited vehicle of the Business Association Law Reform”. (Revista AMCHAMDR, Sept. 2011); “The Separation of the Dissenting or Absent Shareholder in the Conversion into a Limited Liability Company (SRL)”. (Revista AMCHAMDR, Mar-Abr. 2011); “From Individual Proprietorships with Limited Liability (EIRL) to Sole Shareholder Companies: Breaking the Myth”. (Gaceta Judicial, 2010); “The New Face of Dominican Business Association Law” (American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic Magazine (AMCHAMDR), April 2009); and “New Company Law for the Dominican Republic” (LatinLawyer Online, January 2009). She is also the coauthor of “Joint Ventures” (Colección Manuales FINJUS, June 1998) as well as of the “Real Estate” sections published by Getting the Deal Through in 2011 and Mergers & Acquisitions 2011. Dr. De León collaborates in the drafting of the section on “Mercantile Legislation: Business Organization” in the “Investment Guide” published every year by the American Chamber of Commerce in the Dominican Republic (AMCHAMDR).