Center for Real Estate Education & Research, Florida State University, Executive Board Director, 2012-2014

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami, Past President of Board, Board Member and Advisory Board Member

St. Philips Episcopal Church, past member of Vestry

Florida Bar, Section on Real Property, Probate and Trust Law

James W. Shindell serves as Chair of the firm's Real Estate Group. His practice involves the representation of developers, owners, private and institutional investors and lenders in a broad range of real estate matters, including acquisitions, sales, financings, leasing, joint ventures, workouts and restructurings. These matters have involved office, retail, hotel, warehouse, industrial, residential, mixed-use, telecommunications and development properties.

Arnaud Karsenti is the Managing Principal of 13th Floor Investments where his core focus is on management and growth of the firm. Mr. Karsenti is primarily responsible for the general direction of the firm’s investment strategy and overall capitalization. In this capacity, Mr. Karsenti’s role is one of new business origination, deal structuring, and investor relations.

Mr. Karsenti has been active in the real estate business since 2003 when he began his real estate career assembling and developing land parcels in Miami’s urban cores. These initial one-off acquisitions led to the creation of 13th Floor in 2007, which has acquired, developed and managed over $1.5 billion in real asset value since inception. These transactions have ranged from property acquisitions to restructuring of distressed debt, fractured residential inventory, community district development bonds, and a host of joint venture structures.

Prior to founding 13th Floor, Mr. Karsenti founded Collegeboxes, the nation’s leading college-based shipping and storage companies, which was acquired by U-Haul in 2004. Mr. Karsenti is an active member of the Young President’s Organization, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, and a variety of other local and national philanthropic organizations. Mr. Karsenti graduated cum laude from the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University, with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and holds an MBA from the Harvard School of Business.

Marc Suarez is a managing director at Lument. Based in Miami, Florida, he originates loans utilizing Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, HUD/FHA, and proprietary programs for multifamily housing.

Since joining predecessor firm Hunt Real Estate Capital and opening the Miami office, Marc and his team have originated more than $600 million in financing.

Previous employment includes serving as an executive managing director at SL Capital, where he originated $300 million in CMBS loans. He also ran his own consulting firm working on distressed debt, was a partner at a boutique development company, and was a general manager at Gables Professional Realty where he established and ran the firm’s commercial real estate division.

Marc was a professional baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds and later held a management position on the scouting and player development department.

Marc is an active member and sits on committees of the Boys and Girls Club of Miami-Dade County, where he spent most of his childhood. He has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Florida International University.

Rachel is a tested leader of organizationally complex projects. Her ability to organize, direct, and oversee the efforts of our own team, various consultants, and other project participants keeps the critical day-to-day progress in control and ensures an effective design and delivery process.

Throughout her fifteen years in the industry, Rachel has excelled to achieve various leadership positions in the organizations she’s represented. She is well-regarded for her thoughtful design on luxury residential projects including Jade Signature and Paramount Bay in the Miami area and 330 3rd Street in St. Petersburg.

Steve Patterson joined Related Development, LLC, in 2010. He is responsible for all of the company’s multifamily rental and mixed use development activities. He also pursues investment in value-add acquisitions in all income property sectors. In the last two years, Related has closed investment transactions totaling over $600 million, and has more than 4,000 multifamily units under construction.

Mr. Patterson’s 30 years of industry experience has included ownership and management positions in the development, investment syndication, asset management, property management, and construction fields. These activities included multifamily, office, retail, condo conversion and hotel properties, primarily in the southeastern U.S. His track record of profitable real estate investment ventures is valued at over $2 billion.

Prior to joining Related, he held executive positions at ZOM Holding, Inc., a multifamily development and management company focusing primarily in the Southeastern U.S., and before that, held management positions for Picerne Development and Huber Hunt and Nichols, overseeing development, property management and construction functions in Texas and Florida. During his tenure, ZOM was recognized by the National Association of Homebuilders as Company of the Year in both the development and property management categories.

Mr. Patterson is a State of Florida licensed real estate broker and building contractor. He served as president of the NAHB Multifamily Leadership Board, he is frequently published in trade journals, and has twice been invited to testify on housing industry matters before the Federal Reserve Board. Mr. Patterson holds degrees in engineering technology and construction management from Oklahoma State University.