Melissa Nelson has been a commercial real estate attorney with Holland & Knight Law Firm in downtown for a little over a year and a half.
WHAT DOES SHE DO?
She advises developer and builder clients with respect to condominium, homeowners and master association developments including commercial and mixed-use developments and condominium conversions, and high-end resort developments with extensive amenities, including golf courses, beach clubs, shopping, restaurants and conference centers. “We represent the developers and the builders so we start from scratch and prepare all the governing documents before sales even start.”
COLLEGE
Nelson has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from the University of Virginia. She earned her law degree at Emory University in Atlanta.
HOW DID SHE GET TO JACKSONVILLE?
She said she and her husband were looking to move to a more beachy area since Atlanta is so landlocked. “We are both from Virginia and were used to more water and beaches. We had some friends here, had been to visit and really liked it, so it just worked out great.”
FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOUR JOB?
“Probably the people I work with. We have a really good group here. Everyone really pulls together when we have to get a filing out. It’s a group effort and everyone really gets along well.”
ISSUES FACING COMMERCIAL BUILDERS AND DEVELOPERS?
“Probably working fast. The developers want to get to market as soon as possible and they don’t know a lot about the project in the beginning, either, so I need to keep following up with them to get as much information because they can’t start taking contracts until we file all of our documents with the Division of Florida Land Sales. So, we need to keep in constant communication and get as much information as fast as possible to get them out there to market.”
MENTOR?
Nelson has learned a lot from her mentor, Missy Turra, who leads the Real Estate Practice Group for the Jacksonville office. “She is absolutely fantastic to work for. She is very knowledgeable, personable, great to work with and has a great client base. Most of the work I do is for her. So her client base is my client base.”
HOW’S BUSINESS?
“It’s very busy. There are condominiums going up everywhere. We work with developers all throughout the state of Florida. There are also a lot of apartments being converted to condominiums. To convert something is pretty much just like having a new condominium as far as the documents that have to be prepared. That keeps us very busy.”
WHAT CAN REALTORS/BUILDERS DO TO HELP?
Nelson said to just tell them everything up front. “We are here to help you and no matter how small a detail you think it is, it could be a bigger issue later. If we know about it up front, we can help deal with it, address it in the documents and structure the development in a way that it addresses your issue.”
ADVICE FOR A NEW COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE ATTORNEY?
“Organization, attention to detail and following up with clients are all extremely important.”
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS?
Commercial Real Estate Women of Jacksonville and the Jacksonville and Florida bar associations.
HOMETOWN
Falls Church, Va.
PERSONAL SIDE
She is married to Jeff, a commercial real estate attorney with CB Richard Ellis. They live in Jacksonville Beach. When she is not working, she enjoys relaxing on the beach and reading. A movie she would recommend is “A Few Good Men.” A book she would recommend is “The Notebook” by Nicholas Sparks and her favorite place to visit is the Cayman Islands or the Caribbean. When dining out, she enjoys Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse.
- by Michele Newbern Gillis