Shawn is Director of National Sales and Counsel for the National Commercial Services (NCS) operation of Fidelity National Financial (FNF) based in Atlanta. The NCS operation provides nationwide coverage across all 50 states, underwriting on Chicago Title Insurance Company, Fidelity National Title Insurance Company, and Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Company. This operation is able to provide maximum coverage and flexibility.
Shawn spent his first ten years as a practicing attorney in Tennessee before moving to Atlanta and joining the Atlanta NCS team in 2003 — an office he knew well, having been one of its substantial customers. Though his focus has always been business development and sales, he has worked hand-in-hand with underwriting throughout his career.
Over his career, Shawn has closed billions and billions of dollars in single- and multi-site, multi-state real estate transactions — large multi-family portfolios, hotels, timber, power plants, solar, retail, and office. What sets him apart is his command of underwriting, title policies, and endorsements; he prides himself on being the fixer for the most complicated underwriting issues, and he regularly shares that expertise through CLE seminars across the industry.
❝
I’m a firm believer in first-class, relentless customer service — always putting the customer first. By drawing on my own experience and the experience of our talented team of real estate professionals, I’m confident we deliver the best service in the title industry.
Shawn earned his J.D. from the University of Memphis in 1993 and a B.S. in Finance from the University of Tennessee in 1990. Licensed to practice law in Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama, he is a member of the American Bar Association, the Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama bar associations, NAIOP, and ICSC, and a former board member of REIAC. He writes and speaks frequently on title-related CLE topics — including at the ICLE Law Conference and the ICSC Law Conference — and is the creator of Tidwell Title in a Minute, an online video series that distills complex commercial title and underwriting issues into quick, practical insights for real estate professionals.
Based in Atlanta, Shawn treasures time with his wife, Linda, their children, and grandchildren. A lifelong movie buff — equally happy watching films or quoting them — he also plays the drums and stays active with travel, tennis, and pickleball.