Sarah is a partner in our Real Estate team with a particular focus on the investment into, and development of, non-core real estate assets.
Healthcare and Seniors
Sarah has a particular focus and considerable experience in the investment into and development of housing and healthcare for older people acting for investors, developers and operators, such as long-standing clients Care REIT plc (formerly Impact REIT) and McCarthy Stone. This includes being an early contributor to the Government's plans around Commonhold and Leasehold Reform. Older people's housing and care is a subject close to Sarah's heart and one in which she brings a great deal of understanding and expertise, having worked in the sector for many years.
Sarah Walker has been recognised as one of Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyers for 2026, following a nomination by a leading Housebuilder in the senior living sector
Housing
Sarah routinely advises her clients on the acquisition, disposal, development and financing of a range of housing asset classes but predominantly in the multifamily/PRS/BTR and student/graduate accommodation space. Acting for experienced operator and developers such as Westrock and The University of Oxford, Sarah has particular experience with joint ventures.
Rethinking Investment
Sarah has a genuine and keen interest in the decarbonisation of the built environment through active asset management and, more broadly, impact investing, leading on ESG within the real estate team at Travers Smith. She is a member of various ESG committees within Travers Smith and sits on the AREF D&I Working Group Committee focusing on capturing and benchmarking industry standards.
Sarah's experience in the investment work has enabled her to develop a strong alternative practice supporting clients with large leasehold portfolios to restructure their business (whether through consensual or more formal routes, corporate or otherwise) having acted on many of the high profile CVAs since 2018. In 2021, Sarah led the real estate team in the ground breaking Virgin Active restructuring plan and more recently advised PwC on the real estate aspects of Carpetright's administration.
Sarah also has a particular interest in Digital Infrastructure including Data Centres and Powered Land deals, bringing together her investment and development experience. Although yet to become mainstream within Data Centre developments, her strong ESG focus on energy transition is of particular interest to clients seeking to develop digital investment strategies that are sustainable in the longer term.
In 2025, Sarah Walker won the John Cartwright Award for Outstanding Individual at the AREF Awards, in recognition of her ESG thought leadership, including launching the ESG Myth-Busting Podcast.
Memberships and committees
Sarah is a member of the Association of Real Estate Funds (AREF), the leading body for non-listed real estate funds, and currently sits on an AREF D&I Working Group committee. Sarah is also a member of the BPF and Women in Property, as well as the City of London Law Society's Land Law Committee.
In 2020, Sarah launched a bitesize webinar series relating to key topics in the real estate market. Sarah is a regular contributor to thought leadership articles, many of which can be found on our website.