LEGAL DIRECTORIES
Home

Attorneys

Practice Areas

Title Insurance

Contact the Closing Agents

Customer Service and Marketing

Real Estate Resource Links

Board of Architecture & Interior Design
 
3520 Thomasville Road
4th Floor
Tallahassee, Florida 32309
Phone: (850) 893-4105
Fax: (850) 893-7229
2075 Centre Pointe Blvd
Tallahassee, FL 32308
Phone: (850) 402-4100
Fax: (850) 402-1508
14 Medallion Lane
Crawfordville, FL 32327
Phone: (850) 926-3352
Fax: (850) 926-4052
1447 Ammons Rd.
 Ponce De Leon, FL 32455
 Phone: (850) 836-4022
Fax: (850) 835-4321

Practice Areas
 

Smith, Thompson,
Shaw & Manausa, P.A.

REAL ESTATE LAW:

General - The firm's extensive residential real estate practice provides a complete range of services from contracts to closing and title abstracts to title insurance. Our real estate clients include realtors, brokers, developers, contractors, private investors, and numerous homeowners.

Title Insurance Services. As a vital component of our real estate transactional practice, we routinely assist clients by examining title searches, preparing title opinions, and reviewing the status of title reports. We also serve as approved attorneys to issue title insurance commitments and policies on behalf of major national title insurance underwriters.

Real Estate Transactions. The firm has a strong practice involving the closing of both residential and commercial real estate transactions.

Commercial and Residential Leasing. We handle many commercial and residential leasing transactions for landlords, developers, and tenants of residential investment property, office buildings, shopping centers, and various other properties. Our experience includes prosecuting and defending eviction actions for both residential and commercial real estate.

Lease Litigation - Our lawyers have significant experience in litigating matters arising out of both simple and complex lease relationships, representing both landlords and tenants. The majority of lease litigation conducted by the firm is related to residential real estate for the firm's numerous real estate transactional clients, including realtors, developers, and private investors.

Development of Real Estate Projects. The firm has a strong history of representing developers and professionals in the residential and commercial development. Among our clients are several of the area's most active developers of real estate projects, including single family housing developments, planned unit developments, residential communities, office condominiums and buildings, and residential condominiums.

Mortgage Foreclosure - We handle numerous loan foreclosures for both residential and commercial properties. Our clients include private investors, public banks, and private financial institutions. Along with prosecuting mortgage foreclosures for our clients, we track the foreclosure process all the way to the public auction to ensure that our clients' financial interests are protected.

Condominium Law. We represent developers, owners, and associations of both residential and commercial condominiums. We provide a full range of services including formation, government approval (if applicable), and sale and transfer upon completion.


BANKING & FINANCE LAW:

Mortgages & Foreclosures - The firm offers a variety of services for mortgage holders, including collecting delinquent mortgage payments, filing foreclosure actions, bidding at foreclosure sales, and obtaining certificates of title.


BANKRUPTCY LAW:

The firm represents numerous clients seeking to protect their security interest in real property when a mortgagor files bankruptcy, including the maintenance of foreclosure actions contemporaneous with bankruptcy proceedings.


BUSINESS & COMMERCIAL LAW:

General - The firm provides a wide variety of services for corporations and other business entities, including the formation of limited liability companies, partnerships, and corporations, along with a full range of business oriented services such as drafting contracts, leases, and other documents, and facilitating transactions such as the purchase or sale of real property.

Collections - Our practice includes prosecuting and defending all types of mechanics' lien claims and collection claims. When the firm assists a client in obtaining a judgment, we often assist that client in obtaining final payment or satisfaction of the judgment. We also advise our business clients on avoiding collection disputes, including the development and implementation of programs to enhance the effectiveness of their accounts and credit process. This includes preparation and advice regarding contracts, change orders, releases, lien waivers, notice to owners, claims of lien and other documents.

Commercial Leasing and Property Management. We handle many commercial leasing transactions for developers, landlords, and tenants of office buildings and other commercial properties. We also represent and advise real estate brokers concerning their general corporate and professional business operations. The firm has extensive experience in representing parties involved in leasing commercial real estate including representing both landlords and tenants in eviction claims and proceedings. We can also assist landlords in drafting leases for use in a wide variety of leasehold situations.


CONSTRUCTION LAW:

General - The firm represents numerous clients involved in the construction industry, including builders, developers, realtors, and homeowners. Services to these clients include contract preparation and negotiation; contract administration; analysis and resolution of claims and disputes; litigation; mediation; and arbitration proceedings. Firm lawyers represent owners, developers, general contractors, and subcontractors in virtually all types of construction matters.

Litigation - The firm routinely represents contractors, developers, and owners involved in construction litigation arising from a variety of construction projects. We handle construction defect claims brought by homeowners, as well as countersuits by developer/owners. Our lawyers prosecute and defend mechanics' lien claims. We also handle cases involving liability theories and work with contractors and developers to defend a myriad of negligence claims in many types of construction projects. We have represented contractors and homeowners in AAA arbitration proceedings.

Contract Disputes - Our experience in both the construction and real estate fields, coupled with the diversity of our clientele, is sufficiently broad that our practice includes virtually every type of contract dispute.

Contract Preparation and Negotiation - We prepare simple and complex construction agreements, along with providing essential advice to both builders and homeowners in the negotiation of both residential and commercial construction contracts.

Construction Claims - We have extensive experience in preparing, analyzing, defending, and prosecuting virtually all types of construction claims, including disputes related to plans and specifications, as well as problems related to defective construction. Our experience includes prosecuting and defending construction defect claims and mechanics' liens.


ESTATE PLANNING:

The firm offers a full range of simple and sophisticated estate planning. Services often include drafting of wills and trusts, codicils and amendments, living wills, powers of attorney, and durable family powers of attorney.


PROBATE & ESTATE ADMINISTRATION:

The firm has substantial experience in probate administration. Probate services range from abbreviated proceedings (e.g., summary proceedings for estates of less than $25,000) to formal proceedings for larger estates. We provide complete post-mortem planning, including assistance with federal and state fiduciary returns, transfer and sale of real estate by fiduciaries, and distribution of assets by the estate.

As well as estate planning and probate administration, the firm can assist with probate litigation arising from the administration of estates. Such matters may include will contests, breach of fiduciary duty actions, will and trust construction, and guardianship proceedings.



       

 

Copyright © by Smith, Thompson, Shaw & Manausa, P.A.. All rights reserved. You may reproduce materials available at this site for your own personal use and for non-commercial distribution. All copies must include this copyright statement.