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Admitted: 1973, Pennsylvania and U.S. District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania; 1975, U.S. Tax Court; 1976, Florida and U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida Law School: University of Pittsburgh, J.D. Born: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, September 12, 1947
Background and Ratings:
Mike has received the highest ratings for legal ability and ethics and is rated as one of the nation's preeminent lawyers in both the fields of real estate and business. As a founder of Mastriana & Christiansen, he has focused his practice on business, telecom and real estate for many years, acting as counsel to Fortune 100, Fortune 500 and hundreds of small "mom and pop" companies. Of course, Mike handles wills, estates, probate and many different types of cases, as well.
But the changing realities of the real estate market and general state of the economy have led Mike to also handle the ethical representation of clients facing foreclosure of their home or investment property. At M&C, we treat foreclosure clients with the appropriate degree of empathy and compassion and vigorously assert the legal rights they enjoy, but of which they may be unaware. We call it "ethical legal foreclosure defense". We have become skilled in handling foreclosures, short sales, loan modifications and do our level best to represent our foreclosure clients with dignity and for fees which are reasonable and predictable.
Mike is a Supreme Court Certified Circuit Mediator and certified Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Mediator ("RMFM"). Having successfully mediated many commercial, real estate and telecom cases, as well as a multitude of mortgage foreclosure matters, Mike has a keen insight into how to prepare, defend and resolve a foreclosure case in the best interest of our clients.
He has also been an active and practicing real estate broker since 1988 with our affiliated company, Fram Enterprises, Inc.
Core Practice:
But while foreclosure is the dynamic which is driving the legal community right now, Mike continues to handle all manner of business transactions, contracts, mergers, and continues to counsel commercial clients each day. Although the telecom market has cooled, he still represents tower constructors and telecom providers. Our firm represented Sprint PCS and MetroPCS for several years, and handled over seven thousand telecom matters including contract review, zoning, title examination and negotiations and disputes with owners and vendors.Throughout that time and currently, Mike has been the partner in charge.
Mediation:
Mike has been certifed by the Supreme Court of Florida as a Certified Circuit Mediator and RMFM. His mediation practice is limited to commercial matters, real estate matters, including mortgage foreclosure, and telecom matters. If you are looking for a mediator who has the skill and patience to effectively create a climate for resolution and who can do more than suggest 50/50 splits or say "can't we all just be friends", then Mike is your mediator. His mediation philosophy is simple:
the mediator must show leadership in the mediation
the mediator must be incisive and know the subject matter to be effective
the mediator must have patience and good interpersonal skills
the mediator must, above all, be neutral
the mediator must be respectful of the parties and treat all with dignity
the mediator must always be mindful that the purpose of mediation is to empower the parties to resolve their dispute
The Personal Stuff:
I put myself through college (Penn State, BS ) and through law school (University of Pittsburgh, JD ) and was proud to serve the nation's underprivileged as an attorney for Neighborhood Legal Services Association in the Pittsburgh area for several years. During that time, I developed an interest and expertise in children's legal issues. Upon relocating to Florida with my wife, Lynne, I joined Child Advocacy, Inc., serving both as a director and pro bono general counsel. After the highly publicized abduction and murder of Adam Walsh, I became a director and general counsel of the Adam Walsh Child Resource Center. At the urging of John Walsh, my long time client and friend, I acceded to the board of directors of the congressionally chartered National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the nation's leading missing and exploited children's organization, based in the Washington, D.C. area. Recently, after 20+ years of service as a director, trustee, and committee chair, and advisory board chair of its Florida Branch, I was elected to the Emeritus Board, the Center's highest honor.
Lynne and I have three kids and have lived in the Fort Lauderdale area for a long time.
Links:
Florida Bar
Broward Bar
Bed Times
Bed Times
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