Shari B. Olefson is one of only a handful of lawyers who is a Bar Certified Real Estate attorney and has earned a Master of Law degree in Real Property, Land Development and Finance. She has been one of the area’s most well-respected licensed real estate broker since 1989. As the former CEO of a Fortune 300 joint venture title insurance company, Ms. Olefson brings common sense practicality, business acumen, clear thinking and entrepreneurship to every matter she handles.

Licensed to practice in New York, Washington, DC, and Florida since 1989, her practice has focused on real estate and business transactions for domestic and international investors, lenders and developers, and resolving the disputes that sometimes result from transactions and business relationships, including complex business and real estate mediation, work-outs and foreclosures.

Ms. Olefson is highly experienced with all asset types including residential retail, office, industrial, multifamily and custom residential, shopping centers, restaurants, out-parcels, marinas, hotel-motel, mixed use, raw land, receivables, inventory and stock. Ms. Olefson's business background includes all facets of entity selection and structure, including syndication, participation, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions.

Ms. Olefson has also represented lending and investment institutions creating credit programs and structuring and restructuring loan portfolios and commercial transactions.

In addition to being a renowned attorney and remarkably intuitive business woman, Shari Olefson is a highly experienced  journalist, news commentator, author-educator, speaker, and Supreme Court Certified Mediator,  with a solid background in human psychology and the inter-personal dynamics.  Her reliable expertise is sought by television networks, reporters, political leaders, universities, professional associations and bank and investor clients to translate complex subjects into easily-understood and resolvable solutions. Ms. Olefson has lectured extensively and published multiple books and articles to educate the public as well as lawyers, Realtors, bankers, investors, and mortgage brokers. As an engaging educator, Ms. Olefson plays a central role in the in-house training programs for some of the nation’s leading lenders, investors and broker, corporations and organizations, translating complex subjects into easily understood and resolvable solutions. She is frequently quoted in such publications as the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, USA Today, Miami Herald, and MSNBC.com. She is interviewed on radio stations around the country and  appears, often weekly, on CNBC, Fox News, MSNBC, PBS News Hour, NBC, CBS Evening News, CSPAN, and CNN as well as local television.

Negotiation and Dispute Resolution Experience

• Loan Workouts – Restructuring / Foreclosures / Bankruptcy
• Business Disputes – Purchase and Sale of Goods and Services
• Property Development, Sales & Acquisition – Liens / Contracts
• Partnerships and Joint Ventures – Avoid / resolve impasses
• Commercial Lending / Structured Finance / CMBS / Loan Servicing   

Ms. Olefson is a frequent lecturer on Real Estate and Business matters, appearing in radio, television and print interviews and publishing articles on a regular basis. Please click here to read Shari's credentials.

Presentations  

• "Broward Library Foundation Book Presentation," Speaker, Covered by CSPAN, May, 2009
• "Credit Cultural Entitlement and the American Dream," Speaker, Florida Bar CLE
• "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream - Book presentation," Speaker, Florida Association for Women Lawyers, May 2009
• "Commercial Real Estate Workout Strategy for Bankers," Presenter, Thompson Reuters CLE Webcast  

 Publications

• "Best Practices for Structuring Commercial Real Estate Transactions," Author, Thomson Reuters, 2011
  
• "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," Author, Prometheus Books, NY, April, 2009
• “An Immediate Look at the Best Practices for Assisting Distressed Homeowners in Florida,” Author, Aspatore Special Report, June 2009  
• "The State of Foreclosure in the State of Florida," Author, Florida Foreclosure - What Lawyers Need to Know Now, Thomson Reuters, July, 2009
• "The Commercial Real Estate Market: Between a Rock and a Hard Place," Author, Florida Foreclosure - What Lawyers Need to Know Now, Thomson Reuters, July, 2009
• "Thinking About Starting a Foreclosure Defense Practice?" Author, Florida Foreclosure - What Lawyers Need to Know Now, Thomson Reuters, July, 2009