Title And Escrow Expert Witness

Core Qualifications:

• Strategic partnership with national solar developers specializing in due diligence for title and survey review
• Managed, closed and insured over 10,000 commercial real estate transactions
• Senior National Commercial Closer
• National Commercial Title Insurance Underwriter
• Handled closings of portfolio transactions, Class A office buildings, hotel sites, industrial facilities, oil refineries, self-storage sites, apartment buildings, land assemblages for solar projects, retail shopping centers and construction development sites across the United States
• Trusted industry expert to clients while handling complex multi-site transactions
• Executive positions as branch manager, inhouse escrow trainer and title industry trainer for the largest underwriters in the nation
• California Real Estate Salesperson License
• Deposition and trial experience
• Expert witness

Services:

Working closely with all segments of the legal community to expeditiously perform title and escrow consulting services in a professional manner and provide the most objective analysis in reports and testimony. Specialties include: Title and escrow industry standard practice, national closing customs and practices, improper title clearance, standard of care for title and escrow personnel, interpretation of real estate documents and forms, escrow operations and escrow trust operations, recognizing escrow transaction parties and what role they play, escrow instructions, closing instructions from third parties, 1031 exchange transactions, escrow trust funds and escrow audits, good funds practices, payoffs – institutional and private, drafting of documents, fiduciary duties as escrow holder and as title insurer.

Areas of Expertise:

Qualified in reviewing underlying title documents, underwriting high risk transactions, review and approval of title instructions, review and approval of entity documents for corporations, LLC’s and partnerships to confirm ability to convey or encumber property, review and approval of acceptable insurable documents to remove curative items. Resolved title matters, judgments, defaults, delinquencies, obligations, bankruptcy, special assessments, current or pending litigation – basically any matter that affect current title and the ability to convey or encumber property. Provided a high level of understanding of title insurance policies, endorsements and risks associated with issuance of policies. Transactional experience included arranging high liability coverage including reinsurance and co-insurance with multiple underwriters, coordinating title review and agreement of coverage issuance between companies. Performed real estate settlement services on a nationwide basis including the holding and management of escrow trust account funds, escrow account audits to process and clear escrow funds, investigate stale escrow funds for escheat, review and approve escrow instructions (including 1031 exchange, payoff, third party, cancellation, seller, buyer and lender instructions), review general provisions, review real estate sales contracts, experience with institutional lenders, principals, law firms and brokers, create closing statements, handle prorations, review and approve transactional documents, confirm receipt of all original and PDF version of documents necessary to close transactions, monitor escrow trust accounts for funds for closing, conduct curative review and requirements for closing, managing escrow staff while providing leadership and training.

Affiliations:

• Past Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) representing abused and neglected children and Officer of the Family Court in Marin County, CA
• Associate Member, Forensic Expert Witness Association (FEWA)
• Associate Member, California Escrow Association
• Past Board Member, Toastmasters International
• Past Board Member, Commercial Real Estate Women San Francisco (CREWSF)
• CREW Network Foundation Sponsorship Committee selecting and mentoring successful scholarship award winners
• Past Board Member, Commercial Real Estate Women Denver (CREW-Denver)
• Past Board Member, Menorah Park, San Francisco
• Past Board Member, Co-President, San Francisco Chapter of Hadassah
• Past Board Member, Young Leadership Division of Golden Acres, Home for the Jewish Aged, Dallas
• Past Member, National Council of Jewish Women, Greater Dallas Section
• Past volunteer, Trinity Ministry to the Poor (TMP) Action League, Dallas
• Past Member, CREW Dallas
• CCIM, Dallas – Past Affiliate Member

Notable portfolio transactions:

• 28 site Hampton Inn $147M sale/finance transaction
• 125 site GMAC finance transaction of net leased properties with 46 separate partnerships containing both estate for years and remainder interests in 22 states
• 50 site Fairfield by Marriott transaction located throughout the United States
• 30 site Days Inn transaction located throughout the United States
• 4 traunch $1.2B ProLogis finance transaction
• 80 site 7-11 sale/finance transaction containing both estate for years and remainder interests in 12 states with multiple buyer entity partnerships for each interest
• Lexington Realty Trust-Newkirk Retail Portfolio merger
• Multiple traunch acquisition of self-storage sites for newly created National Self-Storage Association REIT
• MetLife $69.4M multi-site sale transaction to Westcore Properties
• 12 site hotel portfolio sale and finance transaction, Sage Hospitality
• 75 site Valero refinance transaction
• First three phases of the Trinity Properties (largest apartment owner in San Francisco) development of Trinity Place in San Francisco
• 399 Fremont UDR apartment development and construction in San Francisco
• McKesson development transactions: Olive Branch, MS and Hampton, VA
• RREEF $474M 30 site sale transaction to ING Clarion

Notable single site commercial real estate transactions:

• $300M Four Seasons Hotel finance transaction in Denver, CO
• Sale and finance of $193M Pacific Center in San Diego, CA
• Sale and finance of $105.5M Class A Miami Tower building
• Refinance of $50M commercial office building located on the Highline, NYC
• Sale of $110M office building in Brea, CA
• Sale of $85M, 1515 Market Street, multi-tenanted office building in Philadelphia, PA
• $267M Sale and leaseback of McKesson HQ in San Francisco
• $174.4M Tanforan Shopping Center sale by Breevast U.S. to QIC in San Bruno, CA
• $125M Sale of historic hotel, Brown Palace, in Denver, CO
• Sale of historic hotel, Adolphus, in Dallas, TX
• $110M loan transaction, Wynnewood oil refinery in Oklahoma
• $67M sale of 1999 Broadway in Denver, CO
• Catellus lease option transaction with Cisco Systems in Fremont, CA
• 12 site $158M Catellus Aegon finance transaction
• Sale of Tarrytown House to AIG in New York

Professional Experience:

Private Company Experts, Inc., Sausalito, California 2019 to Present
Sole proprietor, renewable energy project consultant. Currently active in the real estate expert title and escrow witness sector.
Founder, President
Strategic partner working with nationwide renewable energy project developers. Oversee title and survey due diligence including but not limited to reviewing deeds, leases and other documents for site control confirmation, coordinating with title companies for title commitments and title insurance coverages, outlining potential issues to renewable development based on encumbrances, easements or other issues identified in title commitments, curing and assistance with any identified mitigation issues. Transaction coordination for successful closing of the project development loan, construction loan and ultimate sale of the completed energy facility between landowners, developers, lenders and title companies.

Expert title and escrow consultant for Plaintiff(s) and Defendant(s) in litigation ranging from standard of care for settlement of real estate transactions to action pertaining to validity of CC&Rs and levy of assessments to property owners.

Fidelity National Title Company, San Francisco, California 2014-2017
Fortune 500 company and provider of title insurance for commercial marketplace
Vice President, Senior National Commercial Closer
Provided closing, title and underwriting services for REITS, institutional investors, top tier national banks and law firms as sole national commercial closer for new San Francisco Commercial Services operation. Developed processes and procedures for handle simple single site refinance transactions to large multi-site buy/sell/finance transactions. Selected closing team and sustained ongoing training to enhance title and escrow closing skills. Worked with national offices and clients to determine underwriting risk of properties and negotiate for win-win results.

First American Title Insurance Co., Denver, Colorado 2008-2014
Fortune 500 company and provider of title insurance for commercial marketplace
Vice President, Senior National Commercial Closer/National Underwriter
Worked in a newly formed national commercial office, provided client services for commercial real estate transactions ranging from hotels, multi-family projects, office buildings, self-storage facilities and builder take downs. Utilized closing platform to create legal documents, analyze title searches for underwriting purposes, provide closing statements and fund transactions. Microsoft Excel expertise used for multisite spreadsheets covering master closing costs, property prorations, lender costs and acquisition/disposition disbursements.

Commonwealth Land Title Insurance, San Francisco, California 1997-2008
Provider of title insurance for commercial marketplace
Senior National Commercial Closer/Bay Area Escrow Manager
Became Senior National Commercial Closer for the oldest title insurance company in the country, which merged with Lawyers Title Company to become LandAmerica Financial Group, Inc. in 1998.

Commonwealth Land Title Company, Glendale, California 1996-1997
Provider of title insurance for commercial marketplace
Commercial Escrow Officer
Provided escrow closing services for high net-worth individuals, celebrities and companies. Handled the refinance of the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills and the sale of The Lobster restaurant at the Santa Monica Pier, among other transactions. In April of 1997, transferred to the San Francisco office to pursue a career in the national commercial services division of Commonwealth Land Title.

American Title Company, Hardin and Hardin Associates, P.C., Dallas, Texas 1991-1993
Provider of title insurance for commercial marketplace
Commercial Closer
Worked with a fee attorney affiliated with major title insurance underwriters. Successfully cultivated my own book of business with Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC) becoming a preferred vendor performing curative title insurance work, underwriting and closing sale transactions for the RTC.

Licenses/Education:

• California Real Estate Salesperson License issued February 25, 2019
• Cornell University, Commercial Real Estate Certificate, May 2019