Jones Foster is pleased to announce the addition of four attorneys to expand its real estate, land use, and trusts and estates litigation practice areas.
Veteran Land Use & Real Estate attorney Alan J. Ciklin has joined the firm as a Shareholder in its West Palm Beach office and will be a member of both the Real Estate and Land Use & Governmental practice groups. Attorney Robert L. Crane joins the Real Estate practice group as Senior Counsel based out of the Jupiter office. Alexander L. Brams and Melissa C. Steen have been added to the Litigation & Dispute Resolution and Private Wealth, Trusts & Estates teams as Associates in the West Palm Beach office.
“Alan Ciklin and Bob Crane are exceptional lawyers who bring decades of extensive knowledge and vast experience with them and they know the South Florida real estate market, communities, and municipalities inside and out,” said Chairman Larry B. Alexander. “The addition of Alan and Bob bolsters our full-service Real Estate and Land Use & Governmental teams and ensures that we have significant resources in place to meet and exceed the needs of our clients in areas where we anticipate sustained growth.”
“In addition, we are pleased that talented young lawyers, Alex Brams and Melissa Steen, have joined the firm as Associates to enhance our trusts and estates litigation practice,” said Mr. Alexander. “Our commitment to mentorship and the professional development of young attorneys is engrained in the firm’s culture and we look forward to Alex and Melissa growing their practices here at Jones Foster."
Alan Ciklin is a Jones Foster Shareholder and member of both the Land Use & Governmental and Real Estate practice groups with decades of experience representing commercial and residential developers, corporations, office and industrial park clients, and residential buyers and sellers in complex land use and zoning matters and sophisticated real estate transactions.
Alan’s comprehensive knowledge of real estate, land use and zoning, and local municipalities benefits his clients throughout the process of financing, acquisition, comprehensive planning, and full-scale development of commercial properties and planned unit developments. He handles a wide range of issues involving zoning, code enforcement, and permitting, and represents his clients before governmental boards and at administrative agency hearings.
Alan is consistently selected by his peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America, South Florida Legal Guide “Top Lawyers” and Palm Beach Illustrated “Top Lawyers" for real estate and he holds an AV Preeminent® Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest peer rating based upon legal ability and ethical standards.
Bob Crane is a member of the Jones Foster Real Estate Practice Group with more than 40 years of experience representing sophisticated business entities, financial institutions, home builders and developers in complex commercial transactions involving acquisitions and dispositions, leasing and financing of commercial properties, offices, condominiums, and industrial properties. Bob also serves as a trusted advisor to buyers and sellers of high-end residential properties.
Bob also handles transactional corporate law including entity formation and contract review and drafting for businesses in a wide range of industries.
Bob is an approved title agent and has shared his extensive knowledge on the topic of title insurance and related real estate issues as a featured speaker at industry seminars and conferences.
Bob is consistently recognized by his peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America and in 2020 was named “Lawyer of the Year” West Palm Beach for Real Estate Law, an honor conferred upon a single outstanding lawyer for each specialty and location, based upon the highest overall peer-feedback. He holds an AV® Preeminent™ rating by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest peer rating based upon legal ability and ethical standards.
Alex Brams is a member of Jones Foster’s Litigation & Dispute Resolution and Private Wealth, Trusts & Estates practice groups. He focuses his practice on the areas of probate, trust, guardianship, and fiduciary litigation, as well as commercial litigation, throughout Florida’s state and federal courts. Alex represents fiduciaries and individuals in all probate, trust, and guardianship settings, including will and trust contests, breach of trust actions, personal representative and trustee removal and accounting actions, will and trust reformation and modification proceedings, contested guardianships, exploitation and tortious interference litigation.
Alex also represents personal representatives, trustees, court-appointed administrators, beneficiaries, and creditors in all facets of probate, trust, and guardianship administration.
Alex earned his J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law, attending as the recipient of a Dean’s Merit Scholarship and graduating cum laude. Prior to earning his law degree, Alex served as a student research assistant, focusing on constitutional law and federal appeals, and interned for The Honorable Judge Joseph Marx of The Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida.
Melissa Steen is a member of the Litigation & Dispute Resolution and Private Wealth, Trusts & Estates practice groups. She represents clients in litigation involving trusts and estates, guardianship, and fiduciary disputes, as well as commercial litigation matters.
Melissa earned her Juris Doctor degree and graduated cum laude from the University of Florida Levin College of Law where she served as a notes advisor for the Florida Law Review, a student research assistant in the area of criminal law, and a teaching assistant in the areas of legal writing and appellate advocacy.
She was an active member of the Legal Honor Society of Phi Delta Phi and the Law Association for Women. During her undergraduate studies, she was a founding member of the Mock Trial Team, and she gained valuable experience as an intern for the Honorable James Rooney of the Supreme Court in the 9th Judicial District of New York.
Jones Foster is a commercial and private client law firm headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida. Established in 1924, the Firm has served as an integral part of South Florida’s growth and prosperity for nearly a century. Through a relentless pursuit of excellence, Jones Foster delivers original legal solutions that help clients, colleagues, and the community to move forward. The Firm’s attorneys focus their practice in Real Estate, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Private Wealth, Trusts & Estates, Corporate & Tax, and Land Use & Governmental. For more information, please visit www.jonesfoster.com.
