Experienced Attorney - Real Estate, Leasing, General Contracts
Resume:
CHRISTIAN J. SHERN
Delray Beach, Florida 33444
Home Telephone: 561-***-****
Cellular Telephone: 561-***-****
Email: *******@*******.***
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
WOOLBRIGHT DEVELOPMENT, INC., Boca Raton, Florida
March, 2005 – October, 2008
Associate General Counsel
Job Duties:
• Responsible for the establishment of a legal department in an extremely successful shopping center investment and management company (see woolbright.net)
• Responsible for creating and establishing processes and procedures regarding the execution of the legal department functions as well as the scope and role of my position
• Responsible for drafting and negotiating shopping center leases for hundreds of leases each year for a portfolio of approximately twenty-four (24) properties with a value of over $1,000,000,000.00
• Responsible for drafting and negotiating real estate documents such as purchase/sales agreements as well as conducting due diligence and resolving title defects for the acquisition and development of the property
• Responsible for drafting and negotiating ground leases, operating and easement agreements, memorandums of lease, estoppel agreements, subordination, non-disturbance and attornment agreements, and amendments
• Responsible for Responsible for reviewing contracts for other departments such as construction contracts, maintenance agreements, software contracts, marketing materials
• Responsible for overseeing landlord/tenant litigation matters handled by outside litigation counsel
Accomplishments:
• Greatly reduced the response time in providing legal comments to leases as well as the response time for other legal issues compared to the previous response time of outside counsel
• Nearly eliminated the need to outsource leasing matters to outside counsel resulting in greatly reduced legal fees expended by the company
• Provided direction and guidance to the company as to industry standards thus assisting the company in establishing itself as a sophisticated player in the shopping center industry
Reason for Leaving:
• I was let go as part of a company wide layoff due to the downturn in the economy, which resulted in the steep decline in the purchase and sale of commercial real estate, the ability to obtain financing on favorable terms, and the decline in leasing of retail space in the company’s shopping centers.
BROAD AND CASSEL, ATTORNEYS AT LAW, West Palm Beach, Florida
2004 - 2005
Associate Attorney
Job Duties:
• Responsible for establishing a commercial leasing specialty within the firm's real estate practice
• Represented clients in commercial leasing transactions for retail, office, and warehouse space in the South Florida market
• Reviewed, negotiated and drafted commercial leases, amendments, reciprocal easement and operating agreements, and other real estate documents
• Advised clients on landlord/tenant issues and other legal matters, including interpreting lease language, resolving disputes, and drafting and responding to letters of default
• Managed lease portfolios on behalf of clients including creating lease abstracts, exercising renewal options, and monitoring critical dates, such as construction deadlines, lease and rent commencement dates, and expiration dates
• Developed lease management systems for clients, including the establishment of procedures
• Developed Human Resource processes and prepared employment release letters for a small real estate development company client
Accomplishments:
• Successfully established a commercial leasing specialty within the law firm, which continues through the present
OFFICE DEPOT, INCORPORATED, Boca Raton, Florida 1997 - 2004
Real Estate Counsel
Job Duties:
• Reviewed, negotiated and drafted commercial leases for retail, office, and warehouse space throughout the U.S. and Canada on behalf of a Fortune 500 retail tenant, as well as the review, negotiation and drafting of all other real estate related documents, such as amendments, licenses, reciprocal easement and operating agreements
• Reviewed and negotiated real estate purchase transactions for new retail stores
• Reviewed and negotiated real estate sales transactions for surplus properties
• Advised and assisted internal personnel on landlord/tenant issues and other legal matters, including interpreting lease language, placing telephone calls to landlords, drafting letters of default, and filing lawsuits against landlords when necessary
• Provided general legal support to the retail stores, warehouses and sales offices.
• Managed outside counsel handling litigation and condemnation cases and informed senior company management about noteworthy developments or tactical decisions regarding the lawsuit
• Advised company management upon the disposition of surplus property and documented such transfers through sales agreements with purchasers, subleases or assignments with subtenants or assignees, respectively, or termination agreements with the landlord/owner of the surplus property
• Reviewed contracts for the Construction Department, such as multimillion dollar contracts for the construction of new stores, and for the Maintenance Department, such as maintenance contracts and contracts for the purchase of deregulated utility service
Accomplishments:
• Recovered $5.7 million for real property with an original cost of $2.9 million as a result of a settlement occurring immediately prior to trial for a retail store condemned by the governmental authority through its power of eminent domain
• Reduced company overhead costs by disposing of over 1 million square feet of surplus property during calendar year 2003 as part of a team effort of company personnel and outside real estate brokers
DEPOLAB, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 1996 – 1997
Document Reviewer, Lease Abstractor, Deposition Summarizer
• Reviewed discovery documents, summarized depositions and created lease abstracts
ROTH, ZIPKIN, COVE, & ROTH, P.A., Miami, Florida
1995 - 1996
Law Clerk
• Reviewed real estate and employment law documents as assigned
EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA,
WHARTON SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
University of Shopping Center Law
Continuing Legal Education Program March 2006
INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF SHOPPING CENTERS
Continuing Legal Education Law Conference
October 2001, 2003, 2005 & 2007
ST. THOMAS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW, Miami, Florida
Juris Doctorate, Top 25% of class, 3.1 GPA,
Awarded the Book Award in Legal Writing May 1996
TOWSON STATE UNIVERSITY, Baltimore, Maryland
Bachelor of Arts, Business Finance and Economics
December 1985
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
American Bar Association
Florida Bar Association
International Council of Shopping Centers
National Retail Tenants Association
LICENSE TO PRACTICE LAW
Licensed in the State of Florida August 1996
REFERENCES
David Wiener, Esq.
General Counsel
Known for 4 years
Richard DiChiara, Esq.
Recent Colleague
Known for 3 years
Neil Broderick, Esq.
Friend and Colleague
Known for 16 years
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