Sarah is a Member in Stoll Keenon Ogden’s Lexington office and has been with the firm since 2010. She is part of the Business Services practice group and works primarily with clients in the Equine, Health Care and Alcohol & Hospitality industries, though she assists clients of all types and sizes.
Sarah works primarily with racetracks, equine industry organizations, and Thoroughbred owners and breeders on a variety of equine transactional matters as well as business succession and tax and estate planning. She represents many prominent Thoroughbred operations in Kentucky and throughout the world. Whether she’s advising a Thoroughbred owner or a client outside the equine industry, Sarah gets to know the client’s business from an inside counsel’s perspective — and often serves clients in this capacity. She’s always looking at how she can solve the complicated and often intimidating issues that clients face in a practical and efficient manner.
Sarah’s wide-ranging expertise allows her to serve as trusted counsel to her clients. She answers tax questions as readily and effectively as she handles real estate concerns. She helps clients plan for their futures, and she anticipates changes in the law that may impact their operations, such as federal and local licensing regulations.
Sarah serves as a Member of the Keeneland Advisory Board of Directors in addition to her role as Corporate Secretary of Keeneland.
For her many legal achievements, Sarah has been recognized as a Rising Star by Kentucky Super Lawyers®.
In addition to her work with firm clients, Sarah is actively engaged in several local professional and community groups. She is a member of the Women Lawyers’ Association of the Fayette County Bar Association and serves on the board of Make-A-Wish® Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, as well as on the Vestry of Christ Church Cathedral, in Lexington. Sarah lives in Lexington with her husband and two children.
Business Services: As part of her counsel to racetrack and equine industry organizations, Sarah has been instrumental in advancing safety and integrity standards in the Thoroughbred industry. As counsel to Thoroughbred owners, breeders and stallion farms, Shannon is regularly involved in the acquisition and sale of significant Thoroughbreds, including breeding interests. She also advises clients on the structuring of ownership of equine operations.
Trust & Estates: Sarah helps equine and other clients with closely held businesses prepare for succession and preservation of their businesses. She considers all operational areas of the business and provides a holistic yet focused approach to estate and tax planning and administration.
Equine Transactional: Sarah represents Keeneland Association, Breeders’ Cup Limited, Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) and National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), among other leading equine organizations. She negotiates and drafts agreements and advises on rules governing the conduct of racing and sales among other matters. She mostly offers support to entities in the Thoroughbred business, but also advises on breeds such as Standardbreds and quarter horses.
Health Care: In this complex area of law, Sarah keeps clients abreast of changes to help them maximize opportunities and reduce risk. She represents hospitals, physician groups, assisted-living facilities and various other industry entities.
Alcohol & Hospitality: Sarah represents companies in the restaurant, hotel and tourism industries and helps them navigate a full spectrum of legal matters, including filing license applications and advising clients with respect to food and beverage regulation compliance. She also supports clients in the alcoholic beverage industry with licensing issues and provides representation at the federal (TTB), state and local levels.
