2026 Ones to Watch - Rising Stars: Avelina Burbridge, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

“Avelina stands out as a rising star for her leadership within Davis Polk’s Real Estate practice and her work on sophisticated, high-profile transactions for some of the largest players in the United States. In addition to her client work, she has demonstrated a strong commitment to the profession through the creation and launch of Davis Polk’s Women in Real Estate series, bringing together senior women leaders across the industry to discuss pressing real estate issues and challenges.” 

What inspired you to pursue a career in your industry, and what path brought you to your current role?

As a young lawyer, I recognized how relationship-centric both real estate and the practice of law are, and I was fortunate to find early mentors who inspired me to pursue a career in real estate. Over the years, I cultivated strong relationships with colleagues, clients and counterparties. Ultimately, those relationships led me to my current role at Davis Polk, and they continue to be the most rewarding part of my job. I enjoy serving as a trusted adviser to my clients and working alongside a team that is committed to building each other up and helping one another succeed.

What trends or opportunities do you see shaping the future of your industry?

Data centers have emerged as one of real estate’s most transformative forces, reshaping where value is created, how assets are underwritten and how transactions are structured. As AI and cloud demand continue to surge, institutional capital is pouring into the development of data centers that are built to suit for creditworthy tenants under long-term leases. These buildings that house compute are the foundational infrastructure supporting the digital economy, and the data center transactions I have the privilege to work on are at the forefront of the real estate industry.