Michael Chapnick

Background

About Michael Chapnick

For more than 25 years, I have had the pleasure of serving the legal needs of common interest communities as a community association attorney. But what exactly is a community association attorney, and what do they do? The simple answer, if there is one, goes like this.A community association attorney acts as general corporate legal counsel to the not for profit (usually) corporations that manage and operate condominiums, homeowners' associations, cooperatives, country clubs, and the like. In that capacity, I write and explain contracts (like Declarations and security contracts), interpret and explain the law, guide boards of directors through the minefield of association law and operations, enforce covenants, collect assessments, and help with pretty much anything and everything else that comes up in an association's universe. Along with that, I am fortunate enough to be certified by the Florida Bar as a Specialist in Condominium and Planned Unit Development (association) law, and am licensed by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation to teach continuing education courses to Florida Community Association Managers (one of my favorite things to do!). Just to keep it interesting, I've been involved in legal technology issues for most of my adult life, building my first computer in 1990, and then designing and implementing my first virtual law firm roughly six years later. My development of web-based community association collection/foreclosure software in the was borne of the need to address the many issues arising from the foreclosure crisis. And well, who doesn't love a paperless office! In my spare time, and having nothing whatsoever to do with the above, I am a licensed Unmanned Aircraft Systems pilot, grow super hot peppers (and make a killer mango hot sauce!), and spend a great deal of time shuttling my teenages around from place to place.