Burr & Forman is pleased to announce that Sara Martinez has joined its Columbia office as counsel in the Real Estate practice group.

“We are thrilled to welcome Sara to the firm as we continue to grow our administrative, regulatory, and environmental practices in Columbia and across the region. Her extensive experience leading the environmental side of the State’s regulatory agency will help strengthen our ability to support clients in this market and throughout the firm’s broader footprint,” said Brad Wright, managing partner of the firm’s Columbia office.

Sara’s real estate experience is complemented by her broad background in environmental law, administrative law, real estate development, and civil litigation, allowing her to offer comprehensive assistance to clients. She represents both governmental entities and private companies, including real estate developers, manufacturers, mining companies, and waste management firms.

Before joining Burr & Forman, Sara served as Chief Counsel for Environmental Affairs at the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services. In this role, she provided legal counsel to executive leadership and senior management on complex environmental issues across air, water, and soil. Earlier in her career, Sara was a civil defense litigator, representing governmental entities. She also spent much of her early career focusing on affordable housing as internal counsel for state agencies in South Carolina and Georgia, with a brief period in private practice representing multifamily affordable housing developers. During this time, Sara offered legal advice related to housing bond finance, residential mortgage production, and multifamily affordable housing development.

Sara earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Furman University and her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina.