Audrey A. Ellis

Partner
305-350-2368
Area of Focus: Real Estate, CMBS
Audrey A. Ellis
Partner
305-350-2368
  • OVERVIEW
  • EXPERIENCE
  • INSIGHTS
  • CREDENTIALS
  • PRACTICES
GET TO KNOW AUDREY
Audrey's practice over the last two decades has been focused on the CMBS loan industry with an emphasis on representing CMBS loan servicers in all aspects of CMBS loan servicing, including assisting our clients with servicing practices, procedures, and standards and business and legal issues involving pooling and servicing agreements, mezzanine loans, preferred equity, intercreditor and co-lender agreements, REMIC and rating agency reviews.

Audrey has also handled thousands of loan servicing files involving loan assumptions, consents to non-permitted equity transfers, partial releases, easements, collateral swaps and redevelopment, cash management, condemnations, loan modifications, deeds in lieu of foreclosure and other loan workouts.
Q & A
How has your legal experience been valuable to your clients?
I have spent most of my legal career working in the CMBS servicing space and, therefore, I do and can share my expertise in this area with existing and new clients. My expertise in this area and the long term relationships with industry participants that I have developed can help expedite the post securitization servicing process.
How have you used your knowledge and experience to advance the industry?
As creator and chair of a Task Force of the Servicer's Forum of the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council ("CREFC"), the largest CMBS loan industry group, I have used my knowledge and experience to lead a group of servicers and their counsel to develop standardized underwriting and legal checklists for loan assumptions which has just been adopted by CREFC as one of their best practices, with the goal being to streamline the post-securitization servicing process. We intend to continue our work to establish best practices for other post securitization borrower consent requests.

I have also been very involved with educating and training attorneys, clients and other industry participants by moderating two CREFC After-Work Seminars and conducting numerous in-firm and client training seminars.
What accomplishments at Bilzin Sumberg are you most proud of?

I am most proud of the growth of our CMBS and Real Estate Capital Markets Group and the high quality services that we provide to our clients. This has been, in part, due to my focus in the CMBS space and to my ability to train new and experienced attorneys and clients in CMBS best practices, procedures and efficiencies. 

EXPERIENCE
INSIGHTS
CREDENTIALS
  • University of Miami, J.D., cum laude, editorial board of the University of Miami Law Review, 1985
    University of Florida, B.S., with high honors, 1981
  • American Bar Association
    Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section
    CRE Finance Council (CREFC)
    Chair, Performing Loan Borrower Consents Standardization Working Group of Servicer Forum
    Education Committee, Member, 2021 - 2023
    Dade County Bar Association
    The Florida Bar
    Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section
  • Florida
  • Florida Trends Legal Elite, 2011- present

    Florida Super Lawyers, 2006 - 2008, 2013 - 2014

    AV Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell