Lavinia James Vaughn

Lavinia "Vinnie" Vaughn has considerable experience with real estate and financing transactions, including complex transactions involving multiple properties and ownership structures, as well as foreclosure and work out litigation, particularly on behalf of lenders. She has handled foreclosure actions in state and federal courts in Florida for lenders and borrowers as well. She also has experience with loan sales by lenders and has handled the sale of large loan portfolios.

Vinnie has extensive experience in real estate title and survey matters in Florida, real estate acquisition and sale transactions, and real estate financing and development transactions. She has served as local Florida counsel on numerous multistate loan, acquisition, and sale transactions and has experience with the complex tax and financing issues involved in these transactions, including issues involving Florida mortgage and transfer taxes.

Vinnie is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell. She is an active member of the Mortgage Lending Committee of the American Bar Association's Real Property, Trust, and Estate Law Section and is the author of the Florida law article published in Foreclosure Law and Related Remedies: A State-by-State Digest by the American Bar Association.

• Represented, as local counsel, large national banking institutions and large borrowing entities with respect to multistate loan transactions, commercial real estate closings and loan transactions, and the pursuit or defense of remedies, including foreclosure under loan documents upon default.
• Extensive experience with Florida documentary stamp taxes and intangible personal property taxes in acquisition, transfer, and loan transactions, and experience in matters concerning reporting and tax requirements for foreign investment in United States real estate.
• Represents real estate development companies in acquisition, financing, development, construction, and leasing of industrial warehouse and commercial office projects in Duval, St. Johns, Hillsborough, and Pinellas counties.
• Represents lenders in expanding loan programs throughout the United States and working with local state counsel for compliance with regulatory requirements and preparation of loan documentation and guidelines for lender’s closings.
• Represented institutional lenders in connection with refinancing of existing loans for numerous branded hotel properties in Florida and throughout the United States.

• AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
• The featured pro bono attorney in the article, "The Girl Scout Law," published in The Florida Bar Journal (March 2017).

• American Bar Association 
  • Real Property, Trust, and Estate Law Section
    • Mortgage Lending Committee
    • Workouts, Foreclosures, and Bankruptcy Committee
• The Florida Bar
  • Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section
• Girl Scouts of West Central Florida, Inc. 
  • Third Vice President of the Board of Directors
  • Chair, Long Range Program and Properties Task Force

• "Title Insurance and Escrow Matters for Closing the Loan” and “Remedies, Foreclosure and Bankruptcy Issues," Seminar on Commercial Real Estate Financing in Florida, Lorman Education Services (June 29, 2001 and June 4, 2002)

• Girl Scouts of West Central Florida Inc. - Real estate, property management, leasing, and transactional needs for GSWCF, which serves girls in eight Florida counties and owns and operates five residence camps and two leased properties.