Thad is Board Certified by the Florida Bar in Real Estate Law and practices in the areas of commercial and residential real estate, real estate development law, and general business matters in Florida.  He is rated "AV" by Martindale Hubble and is listed in both The Best Lawyers in America and Florida Super Lawyers for real estate.  He is a Director of the firm and a member of the Construction and Real Estate Groups.

Experience

Prior to joining Cohen & Grigsby in 2003, Thad was a Partner with Cummings & Lockwood in Naples, Florida.  His legal background also includes serving as senior counsel for WCI Communities Inc., a publicly traded real estate development company; and general counsel for Coral Ridge Properties Inc., the developer of a large portion of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and the principal developer of Coral Springs, Florida

Thad also held the positions of counsel for Westinghouse Electric Corp. and vice president and counsel for Lone Star Industries Inc. (which at the time was the largest cement company in the Western Hemisphere).

Today, he handles the legal needs of individuals and builder-developers in connection with transactions and real estate development, including the acquisition and development of acreage into commercial projects and planned subdivisions, complex business sale, lease and financing transactions, and disputes involving businesses, contracts and real estate matters.  He also assists with business and venture formations, closings and title insurance, serving as an authorized title insurance agent for Attorneys’ Title Insurance Fund Inc. (The Fund), Old Republic National Title Insurance, Inc. and Chicago Title Insurance Co. Inc.

His representative transactions have included the successful negotiation and closing of numerous real estate project financing transactions; and business sales and acquisitions involving shopping centers, apartment complexes, and other commercial and residential property.  He successfully structured the offering and sale of the former Wiggins Pass Marina site in North Naples.

Additional Roles

He is a member of the Florida Bar Association, the Collier County Bar Association, the Florida Bar Condominium and Planned Unit Development Law Committee, the Bonita Springs Chamber of Commerce President’s Club, the Bonita Springs Chamber Leadership Class of 2006-2007, the Naples Area Board of Realtors, the Collier County Building Industry Association, the Naples Chamber of Commerce, the Collier County Industrial Authority and Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity (Delta Lambda Chapter at Florida State University).

He has been active in politics as a founding member of the Collier County Republican Club, a member of the Collier County Republican Party Executive Committee and was co-chair for the Charlie Crist for Governor Campaign.

Thad is a former member of the Southwest Florida Chapter of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), the Naples Area Professional League of Executive Services, the Naples Gulfshore Rotary Club and the Naples Bath & Tennis Club Condominium Association.  He is the former chairman of the Board of Directors for the Caring Place School, part of the North Naples United Methodist Church.

Education

• J.D., Nova University Law Center (also known as Nova-Southeastern Law School – Shepard Broad Law Center)
• B.S., Finance/Risk Management/Real Estate, Florida State University, 1980

Bar/Court Admissions / Real Estate Licenses

• Florida
• Board certified in Real Estate Law
• Florida Real Estate Salesperson’s License (since1977)
• Florida Real Estate Broker-Salesperson’s License (since 1984)