Practice-Specific Experience
Practice Areas
Industries
Education
- L.L.M., University of Miami, 1989
- J.D., Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, 1989
- B.A., Carnegie Mellon University, Professional Writing & Psychology, 1985
Bar Admissions
Distinctions
Board Certified in Real Estate Law, The Florida Bar
Certified Mediator, Florida Supreme Court
The Legal 500, 2010, listed as a Recommended Lawyer in Real Estate and Construction
Law Journal, Benjamin N. Cordozo School of Law
Top Real Estate Lawyers, Real Estate Florida Magazine, 2008
Related News
- Fowler White Named Among the Top Law Firms by The Legal 500 – United States
- Shari Olefson quoted on the Future of Commercial Real Estate
- Shari Olefson Commentary on Making Homes Affordable Initiative in Forbes.com
- Shari Olefson Discusses the Impact of the Foreclosure Crisis
- Shari Olefson quoted by Thomson Reuters
- Shari Olefson interviewed by the Florida Times-Union.
- Shari B. Olefson joins Fowler White Boggs as a Shareholder
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," appeared on CNBC to discuss the impact of improving home prices and consumer confidence on the economy.
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," appeared on CNBC to discuss solutions to the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac problem.
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," appeared on CNBC to discuss whether we're heading toward a housing double dip.
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," appeared on CNBC the "The Call" to discuss whether housing can rebound without government aid.
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," appeared on CNBC to discuss whether a homeowner walking away from an underwater mortgage is a smart business decision.
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," was a guest on Fox Business Network to discuss the impact of the homebuyer tax credit. In the segment, Ms. Olefson discusses the . In the segment, Ms. Olefson discusses if the Homebuyer Tax Credit worked and whether we should extend it.
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," discusses the current state of the GSE's.
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," appeared on MSNBC to discuss the record amount of foreclosure filings around the country.
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," appeared on CNBC to discuss the pro and cons of allowing “underwater” homeowners to sell their homes for less than they owe and basically force the lender to take the loss rather than foreclose on the home.
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," appeared on Fox Business to discuss why the housing market has not yet recovered.
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," was a guest on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street". In the segment Ms. Olefson gives her insight on the President's plan for GSEs, like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," was a guest on CNBC's "The Call of the Wild". In the segment Ms. Olefson discusses whether mortgage modifications are slowing down the recovery.
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," was a guest on CNBC's Market Alert. In the interview, Ms. Olefson discusses the factors of why home prices rose for the fourth month in a row, but that consumer confidence is coming in weaker than expected in October.
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," recently appeared on Fox News to discuss why some homeowners are suing banks for not modifying their mortgages.
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," was a guest on CNBC's "Road to Recovery". In the segment, Olefson discusses whether the government's efforts to help housing have helped the U.S. economy.
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," was a guest on CNBC's "Street Signs". In the segment, Olefson discusses why there is so much rhetoric about "moral hazard" when homeowners walk away from mortgages gone bad.
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," was a guest on CNBC's "The Call of the Wild". In the segment Ms. Olefson discusses why the Treasury says it will provide capital on an as-needed basis to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," was a guest on CNBC's "The Call". In the segment Ms. Olefson discusses existing home sales and the shrinking inventory.
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," was a guest on CNBC's Market Alert. In the interview, Ms. Olefson discusses the factors of why the housing starts and building permits rose to the highest point in 9 months.
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," was a guest on CNBC's "Road to Recovery". In the segment Ms. Olefson discusses wether the fed should be concerned with inflation or deflation in the near future.
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," was recently interviewed by Fox 13 News’ “Your Turn” with Kathy Fountain. Ms Olefson discusses the recent foreclosure rates and the second wave of foreclosures.
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," was recently interviewed by Fox News regarding what if any rights do homeowners have when their homes are taken over by banks.
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," was a guest on CNBC's Reality Check which aired on August 13, 2009. In the segment Shari shares her insights on why home loans failed at a record pace in July, despite ongoing federal and state programs to avoid foreclosures.
Shari Olefson, a shareholder in the Firm’s Business Transactions and Corporate Law Practice Group, recently sat down with Fox 13 in Tampa Bay to discuss the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009.
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," was a guest on CNBC's The Call. In the interview, Ms. Olefson discussed whether we should extend the homebuyer tax credit into next year.
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," was recently a guest on CNBC's Market Alert. The segment covered whether or not we are out of the woods in the housing market.
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," was a guest on CNBC's Power Lunch which aired on July 7, 2009. The segment covered the foreclosure crisis and its impact on the commercial real estate market. Ms. Olefson indicated that commercial real estate typically lags residential by 12 to 18 months and that she believes the amount of commercial foreclosures will rise, attributed to negative indicators being seen in the market such as high vacancy rates, high cap rates and declining property values.
Shari Olefson, a shareholder in the Firm’s Business Transactions and Corporate Law Practice Group, discusses the details of the $75 billion Housing Rescue Plan that is expected to help as many as 9 million homeowners.
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," was a guest on CNBC's The Call of the Wild which aired on July 30, 2009. The segment covered whether or not we still need a loan modification program.
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," was interviewed by Channel 10 in Miami. In the interview, Ms. Olefson discusses why Florida still ranks high in foreclosures and what needs to happen to fix the issues.
Shari Olefson, shareholder and author of, "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream," was a guest on CNBC's Market Alert. Shari Olefson discusses the just-released housing numbers and what that means to homeowners, investors and lenders.
Shari Olefson, a shareholder in the Firm’s Business Transactions and Corporate Law Practice Group, recently sat down with Fox 13 in Tampa Bay to discuss the Foreclosure Crisis and what people need to do when facing foreclosure. Ms. Olefson also talked about her new book, Foreclosure Nation and how it can help people in this time of crisis.
Shari B. Olefson, a shareholder in the firm’s Corporate and Business Transactions Practice Group talks about what steps you need to take when facing foreclosure. In addition, Ms. Olefson talks about her new book Foreclosure Nation.
Shari Olefson, a shareholder in the firm's Corporate and Business Transactions Practice Group, discusses why the Federal Reserve will spend up to $300 Billion to purchase long-term government bonds over the next six months.
Shari Olefson, a shareholder in the firm's Corporate and Business Transactions Practice Group, discusses how the government is helping with foreclosure assistance. Ms. Olefson also discussed who is eligible for the mortgage modification program and the mortgage refinancing program.
Shari Olefson, a shareholder in the firm's Corporate and Business Transactions Practice Group, discusses how to protect yourself from foreclosure. In addition, Ms. Olefson discusses her new book Foreclosure Nation.
Suite 400
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301
F (954) 707-4547
Quick Look
Shari B. Olefson is a shareholder in the Firm’s Fort Lauderdale office. Since 1989, her practice has focused on real estate and business law.
She is one of only a handful of lawyers in the state who is a Florida Bar certified real estate attorney, has earned a Master of Law degree in Real Property, Land Development and Finance and is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil Court Mediator. Since 1989, her practice has focused on real estate, business transactions and advising clients on how to resolve the disputes that sometimes result from transactions and business relationships, including complex business and real estate mediation, work-outs and foreclosures.
Ms. Olefson's transactional and related conflict resolution background encompasses purchases, sales, development, construction, finance, asset preservation and loss mitigation, title agency, real estate and mortgage licensing and brokerage, commercial leasing, CMBS and REMIC workouts, RESPA compliance, 1031 exchanges, and contracts.
She has worked with all property types including retail, office, industrial, multifamily and custom residential, shopping centers, restaurant, out-parcel, marina, hotel-motel, mixed use and raw land. Ms. Olefson's business background includes all facets of entity selection and formation, joint venture creation, mergers and acquisitions, capitalization and securitization.
She regularly advises a diverse range of clients including individuals, public and private local, national and international lenders, businesses, landlords and tenants, developers, investors, buyers, sellers, and borrowers. Ms. Olefson also represents lending and investment institutions creating loan programs and structuring and restructuring loan portfolios and commercial transactions. Her expertise is likewise sought by lenders, developers and investors in connection with special assets in deacquisition, default resolution, work-out negotiation, mediation and documentation.
Ms. Olefson enjoys long standing relationships with clients throughout Florida, the United States and internationally, attesting to her dependability, technical skill, business acumen and dedication to servicing client needs. She's the author of "Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream" (Prometheus Books, N.Y., 2009) as well as numerous formal and informal presentations and writings and is a frequent speaker and writer for industry organizations and associations including the Florida Bar CLE Program.
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
Presentations and Publications
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
- "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
Professional Affiliations
- American Resort Development Association
- Association of Foreign Investors & Real Estate
- Building Owners & Managers Association
- Commercial Mortgage Securities Association
- Commercial Real Estate Developers Association
- Commercial Real Estate Women
- First American Title Insurance Company
- Florida Association of Realtors
- Florida Bar Real Property, Trust and Probate Section
- Florida Bar Simplified Forms Committee
- International Council of Shopping Centers
- Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker
- National Apartment Association
- National Association of Real Estate Investment Managers
- National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts
- National Association of Realtors
- The Urban Land Institute
Community Involvement
- Broward County Human Rights Advisory Board
- Broward County Library Foundation
- Center One
- Florida Bar Pro Bono: Florida Attorney's Saving Homes Program
- Jewish Federation
- Grand Oaks Golf Club
- Leadership Broward: Class 16
- Ocean Reef Club Legacy Member
- Pine Crest Preparatory School Alumni and Parents Organization
- SOS Children's Village














