Finberg becomes Re/Max counsel after return from sabbatical in Israel

Fresh and refreshed from an 18-month sabbatical in Israel, Matt Finberg is tackling the challenges of reopening his practice in a recession while providing general counsel services in-house at RE/MAX of Boulder.

After moving from Washington, D.C., in 1994, Matt practiced law for 13 years in Boulder before moving to Israel with his wife, Shelly. There they built and operated an art gallery and café and immersed themselves in the culture and people of his heritage.

Operating at the site of the excavation of the Tabernacle in Shiloh, they had the pleasure of hosting tourists from all over the world. “The transition from barrister to barista was easier than I expected. I may have been able to do that the rest of my life, but we missed our children far too much to be that far away from them,” he says, noting the couple has four children, ranging in age from 18 to 28.

Personally, his time in Israel allowed Matt to learn about the culture of his people and homeland, and experience what it was like to “return home,” something for which the Jewish nation has been praying for 2,000 years.

The experience also gave Matt a new appreciation of “the greatness of the United States and the society we have here, the relative high-functionality of its government and economy. Although there really is no place like home, I think it’s good to pursue your dreams wherever they may take you at any age,” he says.

The sabbatical did what it was meant to do, which was to allow Matt to clear his head, refocus on his life’s path and professional objectives, and return to the U.S. and work with a new energy.

“I recommend that everybody take a sabbatical to take a fresh look at life, unencumbered by familiar routines and surroundings; it doesn’t have to be half-way around the world,” he says.

Matt acknowledges that re-entry to life in the States has been a bit bumpier than expected, noting that his job has changed with the difficult economic times. “I’m feeling refreshed, but it’s frustrating for me, as it is for many business people, that it’s taking so long for us to get back on track.”

While practicing in Washington, D.C., in the late 1990s, Matt represented the National Sales Office of the Resolution Trust Corporation, and he sees many similarities between the stagnation in real estate today and that which crippled the savings and loan industry back then.

“The spoils are there and they will go to the swift and the imaginative," he says. "The government cannot accomplish even a fraction of what bold and creative entrepreneurs will achieve when given a free economy (not a handout) in which to operate. It’s the role of attorneys to help clients re-vision their businesses to first protect what they have and then achieve what they dream.”

In addition to real estate law, Matt also handles commercial transactions, business formations, and estate planning. He welcomes outside clients as well as provides general counsel representation to RE/MAX of Boulder.

“I appreciate the challenge of helping clients of face this economic climate,” he says. “It’s much more challenging and perhaps interesting to help create opportunities to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps – to not look to the government for a solution but create to one ourselves.”

Matt’s office is in the concierge suite in the RE/MAX of Boulder building, 2425 Canyon Blvd. You can reach Matt by e-mailing matthew@finberglaw.com or by calling (303) 717-3759. To find out more about his practice, visit www.finberglaw.com.