Sarah Bray

Sarah graduated from the University of Leeds with a First-Class Honours degree in Law and carried out work experience in various law firms in the United Kingdom. In Gibraltar, her initial real estate work was in relation to the Government co-ownership schemes for Bayview Terraces and Cumberland Terraces, acting for Gibraltar Residential Properties Limited. Her work then branched into other property matters and today, several years on, Sarah leads the property and real estate department at the firm.

Sarah’s team assists and advises clients on all aspects of property law in Gibraltar and also acts for banks and lenders in relation to both large-scale real estate financing and smaller day-to-day lending and security matters.

Sarah’s work is mainly focused on residential property, acting on offplan and resales from the reservation stages, to exchange of contracts, through to completion and post-completion matters.

Sarah’s property and real estate department assists and advises clients on all aspects of property law in Gibraltar.

The property team offer a friendly and efficient service to clients, advising on all aspects relevant to the matter they are instructed on, which may include advice on structuring of the transaction, due diligence, searches, reviews and reports on title, relevant costs, drafting contracts, negotiation of terms and security arrangements, as required, to ensure that a property transaction runs as smoothly as possible. Her team offers the guidance and knowledge clients need to understand and complete transactions with confidence.

Her recent work for developers includes the CitiHome and One Bayside projects. She also acts for the lessors and management companies at Kings Wharf, Atlantic Suites, Portland House and the Cornwall’s Centre.

Sarah acted for the Government of Gibraltar in the drafting of the Lasting Powers of Attorney & Capacity Act 2018, which introduced much greater decision-making powers and autonomy for individuals who wish to plan ahead with their financial and health and welfare matters.

The Lasting Powers of Attorney and Capacity Act 2018 became operative and part of Gibraltar law as of the 23rd April 2018. An LPA is a legal instrument that sets out a person’s wishes and preferences, to ensure that if they were ever to lose the mental capacity to be able to make decisions for themselves in future, a trusted person can do this for them.

It is common for a person’s mental capacity to deteriorate with age. In the same way as we plan ahead with a Will (for once we have passed away), an LPA allows a person to plan for a time whilst still alive, but lack the capacity to make decisions – e.g., if that person were to develop dementia. LPAs can relate to financial aspects or health and welfare. It is an important planning tool and can be helpful to assist from small day-to-day matters, to more serious decisions to be taken.