Sarah O. Jelencic

Partner/Retired

Sarah O. Jelencic

Partner/Retired

Sarah O. Jelencic is a real estate partner and business lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP. Sarah has experience in multi-family, office, mixed use and retail development and financings, including private placements, joint venture agreements (investor, developer and sponsor), new market tax credits, tax incremental financings, multi-tiered financings, workouts, condominium and homeowners association documentation, declarations of covenants and restrictions (residential and commercial), acquisition and sales of real estate (developed and undeveloped), including membership interest transfers, leasing (landlord and tenant), management and leasing agreements and tax-free exchanges.

Affiliations

Sarah is a former member of the board of directors for Wisconsin Commercial Real Estate Women (WCREW) and the Association of Women Lawyers. She currently serves on the board of directors of Journey House, Inc., a nonprofit organization providing adult education, job placement and after school programs and is a member of the multi-family green council of the Urban Land Institute.

Education

Sarah is from Macon County, Illinois and graduated, cum laude, from the University of Illinois, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. A magna cum laude graduate from the University of Michigan Law School, Sarah served on its Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif.

Recognition

Sarah has been Peer Review Rated as AV Preeminent®, the highest performance rating in Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™ system and is listed in the 2006-2022 editions of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in the practice area of real estate. She was recently recognized by The Legal 500 for her work in the area of real estate (2015). She was also selected for inclusion in the 2006-2016 lists of Wisconsin Super Lawyers®. Sarah has been selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© in the field of Real Estate Law (2007, 2010-2023) and was named the 2017 Milwaukee Real Estate Law “Lawyer of the Year.” In addition, she was selected in 2010 as one of Wisconsin Law Journal’s “Women in the Law” recognizing her achievement of excellence in real estate law and her positive influence on other women pursuing legal careers, encouraging women to seek advanced opportunities within the profession. Sarah is also a 2009 recipient of Foley’s Carl Hitchner Mentor of the Year Award, presented annually to recognize outstanding mentoring to our young attorneys.

18 August 2022 Press Releases

Foley Attorneys Recognized in 2023 Best Lawyers in America

Foley & Lardner LLP proudly announced that 250 of our attorneys across 20 offices have received recognition in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.
01 June 2022 Press Releases

Foley Ranks Among Nation’s Top Law Firms in Chambers USA 2022

Foley has again been recognized by Chambers & Partners as one of the top law firms in the 2022 edition of Chambers USA, America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.
19 August 2021 Press Releases

Foley Attorneys Recognized in 2022 Best Lawyers in America

Foley & Lardner LLP announced today that 236 of the firm’s attorneys from 18 U.S. offices have been recognized in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©, and 46 lawyers from 13 offices were included in the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch list. Additionally, 14 of the firm’s attorneys received the special designation of “Lawyer of the Year,” an honor earned by only one lawyer in each practice area and metropolitan region.
20 May 2021 Press Releases

Foley & Lardner Among Nation’s Leading Law Firms Recognized in 2021 Chambers USA

Foley & Lardner LLP is pleased to announce that it has again been recognized by Chambers & Partners as one of the top law firms in the 2021 edition of Chambers USA, America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.
20 August 2020 Press Releases

Foley Attorneys Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2021 List

Foley & Lardner LLP announced today that 20 of its attorneys earned Best Lawyers 2021 “Lawyer of the Year” recognition in their respective practice areas. In addition, 243 of the firm’s attorneys from 18 offices have been listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2021. Another 51 of the firm’s attorneys from 14 offices have been named to the new category of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, which recognizes associates and other lawyers who are earlier in their careers for their outstanding professional excellence in private practice.
23 April 2020 Press Releases

86 Foley Attorneys, 36 Practices Recognized as Industry Leaders by Chambers USA 2020

The 2020 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business has recognized 87 Foley & Lardner LLP attorneys as leading lawyers in their fields. Among the attorneys named, 10 were ranked at the national level, and 13 were recognized for the first time.