MIAMI—Over the last few days, we've been reviewing some of the top real estate cases of 2014. Manny Farach, an attorney with the West Palm Beach office of law firm Richman Greer and a board-certified in Real Estate Law and Business Litigation, served up 5 Real Estate Law Cases You Should Remember and 3 Land Use Legal Battles Worth Noting.

But there's also cases of which brokers and registered agents should be aware. Two real estate broker decisions also made Farach's list.

“First, the Third District held that the Florida Lien Act, which entitles a broker to a lien on the net proceeds of a commercial transaction for their commission, is not the only method by which a broker may attempt to collect their commission,” Farach tells GlobeSt.com. “If permitted by contract or law, a broker may also lien the real property itself. This is a huge decision not only for brokers, but also for closing attorneys, title companies and settlement agents who now have to contend with the question of whether a commercial broker has 'liened the dirt' just before closing and created title questions as a result.” (J. Milton Dadeland, LLC v. Abala, Inc., 145 So. 3d 175, Fla. 3d DCA 2014.)