Financial Institutions

Our Team
Financial Institutions Articles 

General Counseling
Members of our Team advise financial institutions and their corporate counsel on a daily basis with respect to general lending issues, including those relating to Florida documentary stamp and intangible taxes and bankruptcy and creditors' rights.

Real Estate and Commercial Finance
Our Team also has extensive experience in real estate finance and regularly represents both financial institutions and borrowers in the negotiation, documentation and closing of loans of all types. We structure a variety of commercial lending transactions including corporate loans, real estate development loans, asset-based loans, agribusiness loans, floor plan loans and home builder lines of credit.

Taxation
Our Team provides a broad array of tax services in connection with real estate transactions, including the structuring of tax-free exchanges (forward, reverse and build-to-suit exchanges), planning to preserve long-term capital gains in connection with dispositions of real estate and the structuring of joint venture arrangements for the acquisition and/or development of real properties. Team member, Charlie Egerton, is recognized as a national expert in the areas of like-kind exchanges and taxation of real estate development.

In addition, our team also provides advice to our clients regarding the tax consequences of real estate loan workouts, foreclosures and deeds in lieu of foreclosure.

Real Estate Workouts
Members of our Team have extensive experience representing financial institutions in all phases of distressed commercial real estate loans. We regularly represent institutional creditors in negotiated restructurings; acquisition, valuation, resolution and/or disposition of distressed loans; bankruptcies and foreclosures of distressed investments. Our litigation lawyers work in conjunction with our real estate lawyers to successfully handle out of court workouts, forbearance agreements and restructurings of distressed loans. We provide litigation representation with respect to commercial and residential foreclosures, creditor's rights in bankruptcy and UCC lien and guaranty enforcement actions.

We work closely with our clients so they understand the workout process and can determine the most effective strategy for achieving their objectives.

Creditors' Rights, Foreclosures and Bankruptcy
In the event that a workout fails, our Team includes attorneys who focus their practice on bankruptcy and creditors' rights, including the formulation and confirmation of plans of reorganization; liquidation plans; prepackaged plans; representation of creditor and bondholder committees; cram-down litigation; litigation involving unexpired leases and executory contracts; litigating avoidance actions; debtor-in-possession financing; valuation proceedings; post-petition financing; acquisitions of stock and assets; asset sales; going-out-of-business sales; automatic stay litigation; and bankruptcy appeals.

In addition, we have handled complex foreclosure actions on all types of properties, including shopping centers, hotels, office buildings, apartment complexes, restaurants, assisted living facilities, nursing homes and agricultural properties. Our attorneys regularly appear in both state and federal courts on a variety of creditor/debtor issues. We also assist our clients in post-judgment execution, including the domestication and enforcement of judgments of other states and foreign countries, and prosecuting fraudulent transfer claims.

Our Team

Gregory K. Lawrence is chair of Dean Mead's Financial Institutions Industry Team. He represents clients in the areas of loan workouts, commercial real estate transactions, secured and unsecured lending transactions and Florida documentary stamp taxes.

R. Mason Blake represents clients in a variety of complex real estate and business matters, specializing in the development of large, mixed use communities. He has more than 25 years experience in commercial real estate, business, environmental and land use law.

Stephen J. Bozarth is Board Certified in Real Estate Law by The Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization. He represents clients in the areas of commercial real estate development, sales and purchases, leasing (landlord and tenant), secured and unsecured lending, zoning, land use law, commercial loan transactions, title insurance and like-kind exchange transactions.

Marc D. Chapman focuses his practice in the area of commercial litigation. He has represented several local and national financial institutions and national insurance companies in disputes involving lender liability, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, foreclosures, and collections.

Stanley A. Gravenmier represents clients in the areas of loan workouts, commercial loan transactions and Florida documentary stamp taxes.

Lynn J. Hinson practices in the area of complex commercial litigation, with an emphasis in the representation of secured and unsecured creditors in business bankruptcies, bankruptcy litigation, commercial mortgage foreclosures and loan work outs. He has represented numerous financial institutions in bankruptcy cases, commercial foreclosures and loan work outs. Mr. Hinson has more than 34 years experience in representing financial institutions.

Robert N. Manning represents clients in commercial and business litigation matters including construction lien litigation and foreclosures. He also represents numerous creditors attempting to satisfy judgments.

Jonathan D. Wallace represents clients in the areas of secured and unsecured lending transactions, commercial real estate transactions, loan workouts and real estate and lending transfer taxes.

Laura Minton Young focuses her practice on commercial real estate development and represents clients primarily in connection with contract negotiations, sale and purchase transactions, easement issues, land use and zoning matters, wetland mitigation issues, and secured and unsecured lending transactions.

Joel C. Zwemer is managing shareholder of the Fort Pierce office of Dean Mead. He has twenty years of creditors rights and bankruptcy experience. Mr. Zwemer regularly represents financial institutions and other creditors in real estate and financial work-outs and litigation. He is involved with the Bankruptcy/UCC Committee of the Florida Bar, is a past director of the Bankruptcy Bar Association of the Southern District of Florida and a past president of the St. Lucie County Bar Association.

Financial Institutions Articles