Sarah H. Abbott
Of Counsel
CELL 336-414-4824
EMAIL sabbott@irelandstapleton.comEmail Sarah
OFFICEGrand Junction
-
Barb Gregory
303-628-3678
bgregory@irelandstapleton.comEmail Barb
- Biography
- Legal Experience
- Insights
- Presentations & Publications
- Memberships
- Community Involvement
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Sarah H. Abbott is a business, regulatory, and real estate attorney in Ireland Stapleton’s Grand Junction office.
Sarah takes a relationship-driven approach to practicing law and loves to find creative solutions for clients. Having previously served as in-house counsel, Sarah has an in-depth understanding of the inner workings of businesses. In her practice, she focuses on providing clients with timely and practical solutions, keeping in mind both business and legal issues, especially those issues unique to the Western Slope.
Sarah has broad experience as in-house counsel and outside general counsel advising clients on matters ranging from corporate governance, regulatory issues, mergers and acquisitions, employment matters, and contract negotiation to representing clients in settlement negotiations and mediations. In addition to her business practice, Sarah handles real estate deals, including common interest communities, estate planning, and special districts matters.
Prior to joining Ireland Stapleton, Sarah served as in-house general counsel for a hemp/CBD company. She previously worked in private practice in Montrose, Colorado, where her practice ranged from advising companies in the healthcare, telecommunications, and retail industries to estate planning, special districts law, and municipal law. She began her legal career as in-house counsel for a Denver-based subsidiary of The Carlyle Group that owned and operated data centers.
Sarah is passionate about community service and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Montrose Memorial Hospital, the Montrose Community Foundation, and the San Juan Healthcare Foundation. She also serves on the Planned Giving Council for HopeWest Hospice.
Admissions
- Colorado
- Illinois (inactive)
- Texas
Education
- J.D., Chicago-Kent College of Law, 2008
- B.A., English Literature, Wake Forest University, 2004
Honors & Awards
- Named Best Attorney in the 2022 Montrose Daily Press’ Best of the Valley Reader’s Choice Awards
- Represents an energy infrastructure company in environmental compliance matters under federal, state, and local laws for an international energy pipeline.
- Advises real estate clients on environmental issues, compliance, and best management practices impacting their transactions.
- Represents clients in drafting trust documents, wills, powers of attorney, and probate matters.
- Negotiating real estate transactions for over 1,500 acres of farmland in Montrose.
- Represents local businesses in general matters such as corporate governance, acquisitions, mergers, commercial leases, and employment issues.
- Represents medical practices with buy-ins and buy-outs, expansions, acquisitions, and new lines of business, which implicated Stark law and the Anti-Kickback statute.
- As in-house counsel, negotiating contracts with domestic and international customers and vendors.
- Assisted with representing special districts with various election issues (such as drafting ballot questions and advising on combined elections), expanding service areas, and navigating the Gallagher Amendment.
- Assisted with representing a municipality in the joint creation of a regional transportation authority, including drafting ballot questions, analyzing issues related to non-resident property owner voting, drafting and negotiating an intergovernmental agreement, and drafting the RTA’s initial bylaws.
- Assisted with representing a municipality in the evaluation of a new medical center and ancillary issues, such as coordination with the Army Corps of Engineers and Environmental Protection Agency on land use matters.
Corporate Transparency Act Compliance – Beneficial Ownership Information
Corporate Transparency Act Compliance – What You Need to Know
Mow the Lawn and Paint the Shutters: Best Practices to Maintain Your Business’ Value
How to Keep a Small Claim from Becoming a Big Lawsuit
The New Normal Deserves a New Employee Handbook
- Co-presenter, “Big-city lessons learned from small-city lawyers.” Colorado Municipal League Annual Seminar on Municipal Law, October 2018.
- Co-author, “You and Your Municipal Attorney.” Colorado Cities, Colorado Municipal League, Denver, Colorado. December 2017
- Republished, Texas Town & City, Texas Municipal League, Austin, TX. February 2018
- Republished, City Scan, North Dakota League of Cities, Bismarck, North Dakota. August 2018
- Colorado Bar Association
- Mesa County Bar Association
- Montrose Memorial Hospital, Board of Directors
- Montrose Community Foundation, Board of Directors
- San Juan Healthcare Foundation
- HopeWest Hospice, Member of the Planned Giving Council