ATTORNEY PROFILES

Mr. Chapnick has focused his practice, both in Florida and Illinois, on the representation of community associations, including condominiums, homeowners' associations, cooperatives, time-shares, and deed restricted communities, having represented hundreds of associations throughout his career.  Mr. Chapnick has advised hundreds of associations on all aspects of community association operation, including such issues as permissible restrictions on the placement of satellite dishes in community associations, qualification for the housing for older persons exemption to the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988, and maintaining compliance with the anti-discrimination provisions of the Americans with Disabilities and Fair Housing Acts.  Mr. Chapnick has lectured on the FCC's Over the Air Reception Device Rules, discussed occupancy screening issues at a community meeting for the City of Lauderdale Lakes, and recently published an article in the journal for the South Florida Chapter of the Community Association Institute entitled "Mold, a growing problem."

Mr. Chapnick is a member of the Gold Coast and Southwest Florida Chapters of the Community Association Institute, and has served on the Goald Coast Chapter's Board of Directors, the Chapter's program committee and as its delegate to the Florida Legislative Alliance.

Joseph Arena was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and spent his formative years in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey. He attended Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ after being awarded a full academic scholarship, and there he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in December of 2002 following seven semesters of academic work. Upon completing his undergraduate studies, Mr. Arena was awarded Rowan University’s Francis Peacock Medallion by the chair of the University’s Political Science Department signifying outstanding scholarship within his major. Upon relocating to the State of Florida in 2003, Mr. Arena studied law at the University of Miami School of Law in Coral Gables, FL where he earned his Juris Doctor degree in May of 2007. He passed the Florida Bar Examination after being administered the exam only once and was admitted to the practice of law in October of 2007. Soon after taking the Oath of Attorney Mr. Arena began his law career as an associate attorney with the Law Firm of Patti Heidler Ladwig, P.A. in Wellington, Florida where he worked until September of 2009. Upon leaving the Law Firm of Patti Heidler Ladwig, P.A., Mr. Arena began his employment, as an associate attorney at Chapnick Community Association Law, P.A. in Delray Beach, Florida.

Mr. Arena’s most impressive accomplishments include: piloting a successful simulated mission of the Space Shuttle Discovery while attending Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama prior to entering the 7th grade, descending to the bottom of the Grand Canyon by mule in Grand Canyon, Arizona at age 14, and bicycling from San Francisco, California to Portsmouth, New Hampshire while participating in a cross-country bicycling event in 2003.

Mr. Arena concentrates his civil law practice in the area of Community Associations and represents Condominium Associations and Homeowners’ Associations. Mr. Arena is responsible for the prosecution and defense of association actions both at law and in equity in a variety of dispute resolution forums including but not limited to the civil courts of the State of Florida, voluntary and involuntary mediations, and binding and non-binding arbitrations.

David A. Kupperman received his B.A. in Policy & Management Studies from Dickinson College in 1989, and his J.D. from Nova Southeastern University in 1992. From 1992 to 1995, he managed a solo practice concentrating in real estate and civil litigation. From 1995 to 2001, he served as corporate counsel to Maroone Ford and AutoNation where he was responsible for corporate governance, governmental affairs, real estate, and regulatory compliance. From 2001 to 2007, he worked as a senior associate with Katzman & Korr exclusively representing community associations. From 2007 to 2010, he managed the community association practice group of Jennings & Valancy, as primary legal counsel to over 400 condominium and homeowner associations. Mr. Kupperman joined Chapnick Community Association Law in 2010.

He has worked on a variety of commercial litigation matters, and has substantial experience advising condominium and homeowner association matters. His areas of expertise include interpretation and drafting of association governing documents, contracts, collections, foreclosures, covenant enforcement, and preservation/ reinstatement of covenants under Florida’s Marketable Record Title Act (MRTA). He has substantial experience in banking and finance, secured transactions, mortgages, and creditor’s rights. Mr. Kupperman also handles appeals and has several published appellate opinions.

He is a member of the Florida Bar, the General Bar of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, New Jersey Bar, United States District Court for New Jersey, the Florida Bar Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section, and Broward County Bar Association.