WATSON SLOANE - Key Persons
Amanda is an attorney in the firm's Real Estate and Corporate Finance groups. She represents business owners, property owners, and investors in matters related to the acquisition, development and leasing of commercial real estate, specifically related to deal structuring, contract preparation and negotiation, title and survey matters, and due diligence analysis. Amanda's practice further encompasses the review, analysis, and drafting of business and real estate contracts, including closing documents, asset purchase and sale agreements, commercial purchase and sale agreements, deeds, bills of sale, and certain tax documents. Amanda's experience also includes a wide range of commercial loan transactions, including asset-based and unsecured lending, construction financing, bond financing, loan workouts, and restructuring.
Practice Areas
Corporate Finance Real Estate
Education
Juris Doctor
Stetson University College of Law
Bachelor of Arts - Political Science
University of Florida
Brian is a managing partner of the firm with a focus on corporate, finance and real estate matters. He regularly serves as outside general counsel for various companies and routinely works with corporate in-house general counsel on various legal matters for their businesses.
His experience consists of representing issuers, financial institutions, underwriters and investors in connection with the public and private offering of municipal and corporate securities. He regularly serves as Bond Counsel, Borrower's Counsel, Bank Counsel and Underwriter's Counsel in connection with various bond offerings including CDD special assessment bonds, Build American Bonds, taxable bonds, water and sewer revenue bonds, solid waste disposal facility bonds, bonds issued to finance airport facilities and other exempt facilities, qualified 501(c)(3) bonds, bonds issued to finance residential rental facilities, senior living facilities and CCRCs, bonds issued to finance private K-12 schools and charter school bonds, as well as bonds issued to finance qualified small issue bonds to finance manufacturing facilities. He also counsels lenders and investors in the sale and workout of defaulted bonds and has represented a variety of clients in matters relating to interest rate swap transactions. Brian's experience extends to dealing in disclosure due diligence and preparation of securities disclosure documents for numerous bond transactions. Brian also works with non-profit organizations in the formation and financing of non-profits and their capital projects. He has been featured in the Bond Buyer's Red Book for his work in the area of public finance.
In addition, Brian works with clients on securities matters in the areas of private offerings and debt and equity securities, as well as mergers and acquisitions, including buy-side and sell-side representation for stock sales and asset sales.
Brian represents a wide range of banks and financial institutions, including community, regional and national banks, investment banks, savings and loan associations, domestic and foreign investors, asset-based lenders, and leasing companies. He has extensive experience with a variety of commercial lending transactions, including secured and unsecured, first-lien, second-lien and mezzanine financings, revolving credit facilities, term loans, syndicated loans, letters of credit, fixed and floating loans with interest rates tied to LIBOR and SOFR, treasury bills, prime rate and other reference bases, and related ISDA agreements. Years of focus on the representation of banks enables Brian to provide sophisticated legal services that are custom-tailored to the specific needs of each client. Additionally, Brian's length of experience encompassing a broad range of financings allows him to be proactive and responsive to changes in the state and federal laws and regulations that govern the banking and financial industry.
Brian's Real Estate Practice includes the representation of real estate developers, investors, financial institutions and businesses in a wide range of commercial transactions, real estate and land use matters. His real estate experience includes representing commercial and residential developers through all phases of the development process. He has represented clients in the acquisition, leasing, development and sale of retail shopping centers and NNN properties involving national tenants. Additionally, he has represented national and local homebuilders, condominium developers and apartment developers in the acquisition, development and sale of residential and multifamily properties, and has represented institutional and private lenders in commercial and private loans secured by real and intangible property.
He frequently provides representation and advice regarding complex real estate acquisitions, dispositions, and sophisticated commercial development issues in the areas of retail, multifamily, office, industrial, hospitality, vacant and raw land. He has extensive experience with master planned, mixed-use communities, and has knowledge of municipal requirements for platting and subdividing, entitlements, complex title matters, permits, zoning and land use. He provides guidance on the review and analysis on all aspects of real property due diligence, as well as experience selling operating assets to institutional investors.
Brian has experience in the full spectrum of land use and development matters, including acquisitions, land assemblage, project and public finance, land use entitlements, development incentives, future land use map amendments, zoning, concurrency, and code enforcement and permitting issues. He has worked with developers and local governments to obtain the approvals necessary for the development of large-scale residential and commercial projects and also draft, review and negotiate all the necessary development agreements, easements, declarations of covenants and restrictions and related documents.
Practice Areas
Corporate Finance Public Finance Real Estate
Don began his career at a firm which later became Gilmore, Aafedt, Forde, Anderson and Gray, P.A. After a start as a law clerk, he worked hard on his way up to become a named partner, the lead trial attorney and the Managing Director of a 50-person law firm. His communication skills from years of courtroom experience and his background as the manager of a growing law firm, together with his advanced training in estate planning put him in a unique position to give solid advice and explain complicated matters in straightforward and simple terms.
Don's estate planning practice includes the drafting of Wills, Revocable Living Trusts, Powers of Attorney, Living Wills, Designations of Health Care Surrogate, Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts, Charitable Trusts and Foundations, Antenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements, Special Needs Trusts and numerous other estate planning trusts and documents. He also advises clients on Estate and Gift Tax planning, Business Succession Planning and Retirement Benefit Planning.
Don, his wife, Jan, and his dog, Taj, live in Orlando, Florida and Deephaven, Minnesota. They have two sons, Eric and Reid, who work in the financial industry. Don was born and raised in Minnesota and has owned a home in Florida since 2004. He enjoys walking and playing with Taj, golf, all sports and boating.
Practice Areas
Estate Planning
Don's mission and commitment is to provide the highest quality legal services at a reasonable cost. He takes a personal approach to his clients with the emphasis on prompt communication. His practice is limited to estate planning and the administration of trusts and estates. Don began his career at a firm which later became Gilmore, […]
Jenna is an attorney in the firm's Finance, Land Use and Real Estate groups. She works with businesses and developers in various aspects of commercial and residential real estate, leasing, financing, land use, title claims and growth management. Jenna assists with contract negotiation, extensive due diligence reviews, and helps clients avoid unnecessary land use, zoning, and contract issues. Jenna also frequently represents lenders and borrowers in negotiating, structuring and documenting real estate acquisition, development and construction financing, as well as working capital and general corporate loans.
Prior to joining Watson Sloane, Jenna was an Assistant Public Defender with the Ninth Circuit Public Defender's Office where she gained valuable experience in the Florida court system while working alongside and negotiating with the State Attorney's Office.
Practice Areas
Corporate Finance Land Use & Zoning Real Estate
Education
Juris Doctor magna cum laude
Barry University, School of Law
Bachelor of Science - Legal Studies
University of Central Florida
Jeremy is a corporate and tax attorney and a founding partner of the firm. He believes firmly in the notion that the attorney-client relationship is and should be one of the most important relationships any business person can have and that it should be built on mutual respect, empathy, trust, reliability and shared values. To that end, Jeremy's clients tend to be not only long-time clients, but also long-time friends. There is nothing more gratifying to him than knowing that he contributed to the success of a client or that he helped resolve a significant legal issue, and this is primarily what drives him to work so hard and devote the time and passion he devotes to his practice.
Jeremy acts as outside general counsel to a variety of businesses, in addition to advising entrepreneurs, emerging growth and middle market businesses on business and commercial transactions, including complex commercial contracts, mergers and acquisitions, corporate matters, private equity and venture capital transactions, corporate reorganizations, real estate fund formation, and capital-raising transactions. Jeremy also advises domestic and international clients on U.S. corporate, partnership, international, income and other tax-related matters, ranging from structuring their domestic and international activities in a tax-efficient manner to defending their tax controversy matters. He brings a unique perspective to his clients in that he possesses significant international and in-house experience, large law firm transactional experience, and has litigated numerous commercial disputes. Before founding the firm, he practiced in-house with a Fortune 50 corporation, in the Tax Group at DLA Piper and in the Corporate Group at Akerman.
Practice Areas
Corporate Finance International Law Taxation
Jeremy Sloane is one of the two founding partners of the firm and possesses nearly two decades of legal experience. His practice is devoted primarily to three practice areas: Corporate, Taxation, and International Transactions.
Justin Wisman is a corporate paralegal with more than 7 years of experience in the legal industry. Justin works alongside our corporate and public finance attorneys, handling a variety of complex high-dollar transactions. In connection with these transactions, Justin performs various tasks related to trademark registrations, asset purchases, mergers and acquisitions, and closing transactions for institutional lenders. He is also very involved in the formation of corporations, limited liability companies and partnerships, drafting organizational documents, filing IRS forms, filing annual reports, foreign qualifications, fictitious name registrations and entity dissolutions. Justin is also responsible for the corporate maintenance program for the Firm.
Practice Areas
Orlando Office:
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Member of the Florida Bar
Keith R. Waters joined the firm in 2023 as a partner in the Real Estate practice group. Keith brings 35 years of experience serving landowners, homebuilders, real estate developers, lenders, and national and regional retail landlords and tenants in the acquisition, sale, leasing, financing and development of commercial and residential real estate. Keith's experience includes a broad range of commercial and residential transactions. These transactions include shopping center acquisitions, development and leasing; residential subdivision and condominium development and financing; and the acquisition, sale and financing of hotels, multifamily projects, office buildings, commercial and industrial parks, and vacant and raw land.
Prior to joining Watson Sloane, Keith was a partner at Burr & Forman LLP. Keith is a member of The Florida Bar and a member of the bar's Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section.
Practice Areas
Real Estate
Kellie Sharpe is the firm's Real Estate Manager, and she is responsible for oversight of the day-to-day operations of the residential closing department. Kellie also works together with our team of attorneys on various complex commercial transactions. Kellie has more than 25 years of experience and is proficient in all areas of real estate. Her responsibilities include ordering, reviewing and clearing title evidence in preparation for closings; coordination with lenders, realtors, buyers and sellers; preparing and reviewing all closing documents, conducting, funding and warehousing real estate transactions, and resolving title insurance issues. Prior to joining Watson Sloane, Kellie served in director and management roles at several law firms and title companies in Florida and Kentucky. Kellie received her Bachelor of Administration degree in Legal Studies, with a concentration in Real Estate, from the University of Central Florida in Orlando.
Practice Areas
Orlando Office:
Kristopher E. Fernandez joined the Firm in 2023. Kris is a Tampa native, and returned to Tampa to practice law after having served in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corp for four years. He graduated from the University of Florida College of Law and is a Florida Bar Board Certified Real Estate Attorney. He brings a wealth of experience from his distinguished career practicing law since 1986. His practice areas include residential and commercial real estate transactions, title insurance litigation, mortgage foreclosure lawsuits, landlord-tenant cases, estate planning, and probate representation.
Showcasing a remarkable portfolio of over 2,000 real estate closings, Kristopher is one of only 461 attorneys currently certified as a real estate specialist by the Florida Bar. Kristopher's leadership is evident through his roles in various committees. He has been an executive Council member of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar since 2008. He served six years as either the Chairman or the Vice-chairman of the Title Insurance committee of the Florida Bar-Real Property Section and he is a trustee for Attorney's Title Insurance Fund., Inc.
Practice Areas
Estate Planning Real Estate
Maryann Thomas is the Firm's Chief Financial Officer. She shares responsibility with the managing partners and Chief Operating Officer in the overall planning and management of the Firm's financial affairs. Maryann oversees a variety of the Firm's operational matters, including analysis of financial data, tracking of earnings and cash flow, routine bookkeeping, billing, accounts payable, accounts receivable and trust and escrow accounting. She has been with the Firm since its inception and has more than two decades of experience providing support to small and mid-sized law firms in a variety of roles. Maryann has a Bachelors' Degree in Paralegal Studies from St. John's University and is a NALA Advanced Certified Paralegal, Florida Registered Paralegal and Florida Certified Paralegal. Throughout her career, she has also provided paralegal support on a wide range of matters, including corporate/business and commercial and residential real estate transactions, and intellectual property, civil litigation, estate planning, trust administration, and tax matters.
Practice Areas
Orlando Office:
Ryan Purvis is a paralegal with over 15 years of experience in the legal field. He works alongside our attorneys with a focus on foreclosure, probate, eviction and estate planning matters. Ryan also has experience with partition and quiet title lawsuits as well as providing support for real estate transactions. He provides support in these matters with the preparation of various court pleadings and is responsible for tracking the progress of cases from the initial stages to case completion. Ryan also has experience with real estate purchase contracts, for both residential and commercial real estate, lease agreements, mortgages and promissory notes. Ryan is a graduate of the University of Tampa holding a Bachelor's Degree in Criminology.
Practice Areas
Orlando Office:
A long time Tampa resident, Susan is the team member you will speak to before, during and after the transaction. Susan works hard to make sure all the details are addressed before you sit down to sign. She is a recent breast cancer survivor who tries to make each closing a positive event for everyone.
Practice Areas
Orlando Office:
Job Titles:
- Legal Administrative Assistant
Sydney Moore joined the Firm is 2023. She is one of the Legal Administrative Assistants at Watson Sloane. Sydney is currently a senior at the University of Central Florida and is set to earn her bachelor's degree in Writing & Rhetoric by December 2023. Post-graduation, Sydney is driven to propel her legal journey forward by pursuing law school. Her enthusiasm is rooted in gaining expertise across diverse legal domains practiced at Watson Sloane where she eagerly anticipates learning, growing, and contributing.
Practice Areas
Orlando Office:
Job Titles:
- Legal Administrative Assistant
Don's mission and commitment is to provide the highest quality legal services at a reasonable cost. He takes a personal approach to his clients with the emphasis on prompt communication. His practice is limited to estate planning and the administration of trusts and estates. Don began his career at a firm which later became Gilmore, […]
Tiffany Cutini joined the Firm in 2023 as one of the Firm's Legal Administrative Assistants. Tiffany carries out a variety of administrative support duties and delivers high-quality legal services to the Firm's clients, attorneys and paralegals. She also assists in Real Estate transactions from conception to closing. As a real estate professional for the last six years, Tiffany is excited to gain experience in the various areas of law practiced at Watson Sloane.
Practice Areas
Orlando Office:
Vivien is a partner in the firm's Finance, Government Relations, Land Use & Zoning and Real Estate groups. Her real estate practice focuses on serving clients in areas related to land use, zoning, growth management law, environmental and local government issues. This focus includes assisting clients with matters relating to development permitting and other approvals, impact fees, entitlement issues, bid protests, and alcoholic beverage licensing. In matters related to public finance, Vivien's practice includes representation of issuers, financial institutions, underwriters, and investors in connection with the public and private offering of municipal and corporate securities.