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Practice Area Overview
Community Association Law refers to the body of law that applies to common interest developments, including condominiums, planned developments, stock co-ops, homeowner associations, and commercial property owner associations.
The practice of community association law includes, among other things:
Creating common interest developments, preparation of governing documents, review, revision, and amendment of governing documents.
- Updating documents from time to time to comply with statutory changes.
- Representing boards of directors of common interest development associations.
- Representing members of common interest development association.
- Writing opinion letters for boards of directors or members of associations, interpreting governing documents, and advising boards on enforcement of governing documents.
- Assisting boards in collecting assessments or imposing discipline on members for violation of governing documents.
- Advising associations with respect to contracts (management, landscaping, maintenance).
- Counseling associations with respect to performance of statutory duties imposed upon associations.
- Representing associations in defective design and construction lawsuits.
- Attending board meetings and general membership meetings as counsel for the board of directors of an association.
Lawyers whose practice is largely devoted to community association law are most likely to be members of the community association institute (CAI), and leading practitioners of community association law may be elected to membership in the College of Community Association Lawyers.
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Hugo V. Alvarez has successfully worked on a large volume of cases with significant financial exposure. Fortune 500 companies, prominent real estate developers, municipalities, insurance companies, hotels, financial institutions, condominium/homeowner’s associations, CD brokers, freight forwarders, and general contractors have all sought his legal advice and deep local community ties to help get issues resolved. Hugo has been published in the Daily Business Review , Law360, appeared on ...
As leader of the Community Associations practice, Adam advises community association and country club/yacht club boards and members regarding corporate governance, procedural requirements, governing document amendments, fiduciary duties, inspection right, collection issues, and rule adoption and enforcement. He also has experience preparing all components of community association, country club, and yacht club entity formation, including articles of incorporation, bylaws, committee charters, o...
Steve Black represents homeowner and condominium associations as well as cooperatives in both North Carolina and South Carolina on most all issues, including providing legal advice and litigating cases. In addition, he heads up the firm's assessment collection practice. Steve regularly speaks on community association and is licensed in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Board Certified in Residential Real Estate. There are less than ten attorneys in the Carolinas with this level of designati...
Lenore Brakefield is a Naples native and graduated cum laude from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. She focuses her law practice on civil and commercial litigation, including construction litigation matters. Lenore also handles local government law, code enforcement violations, community association law, real estate law, and contract and transactional matters. Additionally, Lenore is a Certified Financial Litigator (CFL™) by the American Academy for Certified Financial Lit...
Charles D. (Chuck) Brecker principally represents residential and commercial real estate builders and developers, as well as investors and joint venturers, in acquiring, financing, developing, constructing, selling and leasing residential, commercial, and mixed-use projects, many of which consist of vast acreage and vertical mixed-use towers. In addition, Chuck has extensive experience in the creation of condominium and homeowners' communities, hotel and office condominiums, and has handled r...
Robert A. Cooper, a member of the firm’s Board of Directors, focuses his practice in all areas of real estate law, construction law, condominium and homeowners association law, lien and foreclosure law, loan and financing transactions, commercial leasing, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate and business law. Well-known and well-respected for his community association law practice, Robert has extensive experience providing legal counseling to boards of directors, officers and...
Curtis S. Ekmark joined Carpenter Hazlewood Delgado & Bolen in March 2016, but has represented associations since 1993. Mr. Ekmark played basketball at and earned his undergraduate degree from Marquette University and received an academic scholarship to attend Pepperdine University School of Law. While at Pepperdine, he was a member of the Dean’s List, the Law Review and the Phi Delta Phi legal honors fraternity. He was named the Terry Giles Scholar and the Odell McConnell Scholar b...
Mr. Estis concentrates his practices on complex commercial litigation, with a particular focus on construction law, condominium and community association law, public entity law and alternative dispute resolution. His practice also encompasses real estate and business disputes and general equity matters. He serves as counsel to numerous developers, condominiums and cooperatives, New Jersey municipalities, and one of the major sewerage authorities in the state. He has served as an arbitrator an...
Sam leads the Real Estate practice. His experience includes all aspects of commercial real estate and community association matters. He regularly assists commercial and residential developers in the acquisition, subdivision, development, zoning, and sale of real property, including the formation of complex, mixed-use planned communities, commercial and residential condominiums, and multi-tenant commercial projects. Additionally, Sam represents purchasers and lenders with regard to the evaluat...
As a founding partner of Hellmuth & Johnson, David has been creating strategic advantages for clients since the firm’s inception. He works with a diverse group of small, medium, and large businesses, financial institutions, non profit entities and individuals, primarily assisting in matters involving real estate, corporations, collection/creditor remedies, banking and financial, and business matters. David also represents a significant number of condominium and townhouse association...
Ms. Higbee’s practice consists primarily of real estate matters including homeowners association matters, property management matters, transactions and litigation. She has provided advice to homeowners associations, commercial property owners associations, commercial and residential landlords, property managers, lenders in connection with SBA loan closings, real estate agents and buyers and sellers of real estate. Clients turn to Ms. Higbee for her expertise in compliance with CC&Rs...
Joel W. Hyatt focuses his practice on commercial, construction, real estate, labor and employment, and community association litigation. Joel works with local and national companies, community associations, and individuals to navigate through complex business and legal issues, including all manner of contract disputes, collections, construction liens, foreclosure, replevin, enforcement of non-competition agreements, interpretation and enforcement of governing documents, and title disputes.
Chad Johnson is a founding partner of Hellmuth & Johnson, and serves as the firm’s Managing Partner. He founded Hellmuth & Johnson after just two years of practice, growing the firm on the strength of its loyal clients and experienced attorneys to become one of the 20 largest law firms in Minnesota. Chad represents a broad range of businesses, corporations, limited liability entities and individuals in pursuit of their business, real estate and transaction goals. He is admitted ...
Phillip Joseph co-chairs Ball Janik LLP’s construction litigation practice, which is growing in national reach and prominence. He is a commercial litigator whose primary focus is construction and real estate litigation, including design and construction disputes, construction defect, general counsel for community associations, purchase/sale disputes, real estate disputes, commercial landlord/tenant, and collections. Mr. Joseph has received the AV® Preeminent™ Rating from Marti...
Mark A. Kirsch is a principal and Chair of Cohen and Wolf's Real Estate Group and a member of the Commercial Lending and Common Interest Communities Groups. Resident in the firm's Bridgeport office, Mr. Kirsch practices in the area of commercial real estate, where he is involved in all aspects of acquisition, financing, leasing, conveyance and development. He has extensive experience representing banks and other financial institutions in commercial lending transactions, including asset-based ...
Na Lan is a Director at Damon Key and brings to the firm a unique combination of capabilities and experience in the areas of condominium and community association law, immigration, business and real property transactions, and dispute resolution for Mandarin-speaking investors and business owners. Born and raised in China, she is fluent in both Mandarin Chinese and English. Ms. Lan arrived in Hawaii as an international student in 2004. Inspired by a professor’s passion for law, she becam...
Justin's practice experience includes a wide variety of residential and commercial real estate matters, including the representation of sellers and buyers in the negotiation and preparation of purchase agreements, construction agreements, and loan agreements, and the representation of landlords and tenants in the negotiation and preparation of leases. He assists residential and commercial developers in connection with the acquisition, financing, development, subdivision, zoning, leasing, and ...
Ms. Li practices in real estate, concentrating in condominium and planned real estate development law. Her experience includes residential condominiums, and subdivided lot communities administered by associations, where she structures the interests of high-rises, single-family detached units, townhomes, stacked flats and duplexes. She is experienced in the conversion of rental properties to the condominium form of ownership and the statutes and regulations governing the removal of tenants in ...
Chad Miesen advises all types of business organizations and entrepreneurs across many industries, including for-profits, non-profits, and community associations, in all stages of a business’s life cycle—from formation to dissolution. Chad has extensive experience in providing advice to condominium and planned community associations on a variety of issues particular to that subset of clients. Chad joined the firm in 2007, became a partner in 2014, and an equity shareholder in 2016....
Stevan Pardo, Chair, Construction, Hotel and Litigation Groups at Pardo Jackson Gainsburg, is a leading authority on Florida construction and corporate hospitality law. During his more than 30 years as a construction litigator, Stevan has represented companies involved in virtually all aspects of the construction industry including owners, contractors, design professionals, subcontractors, sureties, and insurers. His legal representations have included delay and defect claims arising out of c...
Charles E. Pear, Jr. is of counsel in the real estate practice group and represents numerous clients on dozens of condominium, timesharing and fractional projects, including some of the earliest and some of the largest plans in the nation. He represents developers and lenders, real estate brokerage firms, property managers, homeowners associations, exchange companies, and others. He has also served as a consultant to the State of Hawaii. Mr. Pear is listed in Best Lawyers in America and in Ch...
Nancy Polomis is a Partner at Hellmuth & Johnson. She brings considerable insight to all stages of community association development and function, including entity formation, creation and interpretation of covenants and bylaws, and collections. Her clients include local and national residential builders and developers and numerous homeowners associations throughout Minnesota. Nancy’s many long-term relationships with community associations testify to the quality of her work, and her...
Jim Slaughter is a Partner at Law Firm Carolinas and has been recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice of Real Estate Law and was the first North Carolina attorney named to Best Lawyers in the practice of Community Association Law (homeowner and condominium associations). Jim has also been named a "Legal Elite" by Business North Carolina magazine, and a North Carolina Super Lawyer for Real Estate. Jim was the first North Carolina attorney inducted as a Fellow into CAI’s College of Com...
Shirley Steinbach represents companies and individuals seeking to resolve a myriad of business and personal disputes through litigation, arbitration, mediation and settlement. She counsels clients to help them make sound strategic business and legal decisions. One client has said that “what most impresses me about Shirley is her professional demeanor and temperament. Lawyers who are all ‘fire and brimstone I-was-born-a-pitbull-and-will-fight-for-you (for an appropriate fee!)&rsquo...
With a national reputation only exceeded by his regional stature, Steven L. Sugarman is widely considered the premier practitioner of community association law in Pennsylvania. Steve was the founding principal of the esteemed community association law firm, Steven L. Sugarman & Associates, and its merger with Gawthrop Greenwood in August 2023 created one of the largest law firms supporting homeowners associations (HOAs), planned communities, condominium associations and cooperatives in Pe...
A partner with Ball Janik LLP, Chris Walters has practiced at the firm for over 25 years. His areas of practice include real estate, construction, finance, sales and leasing, venture formation and representation, public contracting, and all aspects of project funding, development and management. He has assisted developers, investors, landlords, tenants, lenders, corporations, public agencies, contractors, design professionals, health organizations, resort and hospitality providers, and religi...
Barbara Ballard Woodcock is a partner in the firm’s Bonita Springs Office. Her practice focuses on Condominium and Homeowners’ Association law, First Party Property, Personal Injury, Vehicle Negligence, Premises Liability, Professional Negligence, Construction Defect, and Employment Law. Ms. Woodcock is admitted to practice in all Florida state courts and in federal court in the Middle District of Florida. Ms. Woodcock received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Mi...
Mark J. Woodward is the Managing Partner of Woodward, Pires & Lombardo, P.A. in Naples and Marco Island, Florida. He is double Board Certified in Real Estate Law as well as in Condominium and Planned Development Law by The Florida Bar. Mark has over 40 years of experience in practicing law in the State of Florida. Mark received his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Florida and his Juris Doctorate from Stetson College of Law. Mark assists clients with his extensi...
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