Sarah Day

she/herPartner

Sarah Day is levelheaded, available, practical, pragmatic and well-connected.

Chambers UK, 2026

Emailsarah.day@akd.partners

Call+44 (0)7971 142180

Leeds

About

Sarah Day is an experienced finance lawyer. She advises asset based lenders, corporates, sponsors, funds and banks in new money, refinancing and restructuring situations. The deals range from growth capital to structured debt for established multi-national businesses.

As well as transactional work, Sarah advises on new documentation and lending policies. She speaks regularly on ABL and on diversity at conferences and events.

As a banking lawyer for over thirty years, Sarah’s stated career aim is to make a difference: whether that is in terms of getting a transaction done, advising on sustainability and ESG, or improving how deal teams interact. Clients comment that her management of deals is excellent, her advice, “the best I have seen”, and that working with her and her large, diverse and stable team, is “fun”.

Examples of her work include developing standard form corporate lending documents for an international clearing bank, advising an asset based lender funding an acquisition from a plc, advising a sovereign wealth fund on a significant refinancing in the natural resources sector, and a US growth fund on venture debt across Europe.

Sarah is listed as a tier one leading individual by both Legal 500 and Chambers. She is also listed in the Legal 500 "Hall of Fame".

Sarah has the typical lawyer hobbies: walking, reading, travel. She is also predictable in living in the countryside with her husband and dogs. Slightly more random, she is a part time assistant curate in the Church of England.

“We are here to make a difference, to make business better, but there is no reason that can’t also be fun when appropriate, and why we can’t always be human.”
— Sarah Day October 2025

Areas of FocusConsumer Goods, Food and Retail Financial Services Corporate Finance Asset-based Lending Restructuring Healthcare Media, Sport and Entertainment Mergers and Acquisitions Venture and Growth Lending

Professional QualificationsSolicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales

EXPERIENCE

Advised an international private equity client in connection with its investment in a large property and facilities management services business. The latest transaction involved recalibrating the existing debt stack in order to facilitate a major refinancing in the coming months, which will represent a significant shift in the group's corporate dynamic.
Advised Secure Trust Bank in respect of receivables, inventory and revolving overpayment facilities to fund the equity backed management buy out of an international home decor business, together with subsequent working capital. As well as advising on the facility documentation and subordination arrangements with loan note holders and vendors, we advised on key specific funder due diligence areas including the business transfer, transitional services arrangements, key commercial contracts and pensions liabilities.
Advised a leading global bank on a supersenior facility that was part of a refinancing for a commercial design company. It’s encouraging to see that supersenior/unitranche deals are still being done.
Advised a prominent UK bank on facilities provided to support Modella Capital's acquisition of Hobbycraft, the largest arts and crafts retailer in the UK, and ongoing working capital. Our role included advising on finance documentation and key funder due diligence areas for asset-based lending. This is one of a series of transactions where the bank has provided ABL facilities to support private equity M&A.
Advised the senior funders to Genuit group, most recently delivering a strategic change int eh lender group and an uplift in facilities.

Languages

Awards

Legal 500 Hall of Fame Chambers, top ranked individual

Education

College of Law, Chester, LLB (First class Hons), 1990

New College, Oxford, BA Hons Modern Languages (French and German), 1988

Seminars

Chaired panel on Sustainability and ABL, SFNet International Lending Conference 2023

Prior Experience

As well as her long and varied experience of finance work, Sarah has held a number of management roles in AKD Partners, including as an elected member of the Board. Most recently (2017-2023) she was UK Head for the FinanceGroup.

Additional information