Sarah Kellner

Sarah Kellner protects, uses, and unlocks the value of real estate when projects, property rights, and public decision-making collide. A partner in the Property Rights Group at Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP, she brings over two decades of trial experience to complex real estate litigation, land use disputes, development entitlements, condemnation, and eminent domain matters. Clients rely on her practical judgment, clear strategy, and steady advocacy when legal risk, project timing, public process, and property value are all on the line.

Sarah represents developers, landowners, tenants, energy and oil and gas companies, and businesses with nationwide property portfolios in high-stakes real estate and property rights disputes. Her practice spans development entitlements and land use challenges, Rule 106 actions, Colorado Sunshine and Open Records Act disputes, zoning disputes, and Anti-SLAPP litigation, as well as disputes with municipalities and counties, including matters raising constitutional and statutory claims.

Condemnation

A significant part of Sarah’s practice also focuses on condemnation and eminent domain. She represents companies with nationwide property portfolios in threatened condemnation and eminent domain litigation across the country, drawing on deep experience in land use, valuation, and condemnation to protect client assets and maximize results. She has particular experience representing landowners and tenants facing condemnation for urban renewal projects, negotiating with municipalities regarding blight studies and working to maximize just compensation for takings.

Major Infrastructure Projects

Sarah also provides comprehensive legal support for major infrastructure projects, particularly for energy and oil and gas clients. That work includes assistance with permitting—including 1041 and other land use applications—acquisitions, and condemnation when necessary. She supports her clients from project inception through construction, offering both front-end counseling and litigation support when disputes arise.

Complex Real Estate Litigation

In addition to her land use and condemnation work, Sarah represents clients in complex landlord-tenant, quiet title, and real estate joint venture and partnership disputes. Her broader experience in real estate valuation, acquisition and disposition, development planning, and permitting gives her a rare command of both the legal and business dimensions of a dispute—helping clients not only win, but also preserve project value, manage risk, and complete their projects as efficiently and quickly as possible.

Clients value Sarah for her ability to translate complex real estate, valuation, and government-facing disputes into clear strategy and practical action. Whether advising on a development challenge, litigating a property rights dispute, or helping a client navigate a threatened taking, clients rely on Sarah’s judgment to protect what matters most and achieve results.

Recognition

• Chambers USA, “Leader in Their Field” Real Estate Colorado, (2025, 2026)
• Best Lawyers® – Real Estate Law, (2022–2026)
• Legal 500 US Elite – Denver: Real Estate (2026)
• Barrister’s Best: “People’s Choice, Best Real Estate Attorney,” Law Week Colorado (2018)

PUBLICATIONS & PRESENTATIONS

• Effective Stakeholder Engagement for Renewable Energy Development, Davis Graham Webinar, 2026
• Ethics: Building Your Practice by Mentoring the Next Generation of Eminent Domain Professionals, ALI-CLE National Eminent and Land Valuation Litigation, Austin, Texas, 2023
• More Than the Fifth Amendment: Other Tools for Upholding Property Rights, ALI-CLE National Eminent Domain and Land Valuation Litigation, Remote, 2021
• Displaced Persons: A Primer of the Federal Relocation, Act ALI-CLE National Eminent and Land Valuation Litigation, Nashville, Tennessee, 2020
• Urban Redevelopment: How Does an Owner Stand Its Ground?, ALI-CLE National Eminent Domain and Land Valuation Litigation, Palm Springs, California, 2019
• Takings and Damaging by Flood: Case Selection Advice for Savvy Practitioners, ALI-CLE National Eminent Domain and Land Valuation Litigation, Charleston, South Carolina, 2018
• Effective Case Planning: Getting Your Case Off to a Good Start, ALI-CLE National Eminent Domain and Land Valuation Litigation, Charleston, South Carolina, 2018
• “Riddle Me This” – Colorado Inverse Condemnation, CLE-International (Colorado), 2018
• Colorado Eminent Domain Practice, Program Chair, Colorado Bar Associate CLE Event, Denver, Colorado, 2017
• Eminent Domain Legal Update, International Right of Way Association, Denver, Colorado, 2016
• Know When to Hold ‘Em, Know When to Fold ‘Em – Attorney Fee Recovery in Eminent Domain, CLE International, Denver, Colorado 2015
• Eminent Domain Half-Day CLE, Program Chair, Colorado Bar Association, Denver, Colorado, 2015
• Motions in Limine – Do’s and Don’ts, CLE International Eminent Domain Conference, Denver, Colorado, 2011c