8/3/2010 Congratulations to Kevin McManus on winning the primary election today, and best of luck in the general election this fall.  Kevin ran a positive campaign and polled nearly twice the votes of the next closest challenger.

8/2/2010 Attorney M. Catherine Hartnett joins the MLLF team. M. Catherine Hartnett is a 1984 graduate of University Missouri-Columbia School of Law.  She graduated with a B.A. from Benedictine College in 1981.  Ms. Hartnett is admitted to practice in Missouri and Kansas.  She is also admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri and the United States District Court for the District of Kansas.  Ms. Hartnett has successfully argued appeals in each of the Eastern, Western and Southern Districts of the Missouri Courts of Appeal.  Her practice is concentrated in the areas of title insurance defense, bankruptcy, secured transactions, contracts and all issues involving creditor’s rights.

Summer 2010 Missouri and Kansas Legislatures Introduce Foreclosure Legislation Affecting Heirs Assets and MERS Respectively.  Read more...

7/28/2010 Richard Gray joins the MLLF team. Richard is a 1996 graduate of Washington University School of Law.  He graduated with a B.A. from the University of Arkansas in 1989.  Richard is admitted to practice in Missouri and is a member of the Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers, the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, the American Bar Association and the Defense Research Institute.  Richard has years of litigation experience for both plaintiffs and defendants, and participated in one of the largest civil trials in United States District Court history.  His practice is concentrated on litigation in real estate, title insurance, collections, contract dispute and general tort areas.  Before joining the firm, he worked for several years defending doctors and hospitals from medical malpractice actions in the St. Louis area, and in defending products liability, tort and fraud actions against major U.S. corporations.

7/26/2010 Jonathan Galssman joins the MLLF team. Jonathan is a 2004 graduate of Washington University School of Law, where he was an Environmental Moot Court semi-finalist and a Client Counseling Competition finalist.  He graduated with a B.A. from Carleton College in 1998.  Mr. Glassman is admitted to practice in Missouri and Illinois.  He is also admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.  His practice is concentrated in the areas of civil litigation and creditors rights.  Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Glassman clerked for the Honorable Victor C. Howard of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, from 2004 to 2006.   

7/18/2010 to 7/21/2010 Berry Laws attended the ALFN's 8th Annual Leadership Conference in Washington DC.

7/19/2010 Martin, Leigh, Laws & Fritzlen, PC is pleased to announce that Attorney Desarae Harrah has been invited to join the Centurions Leadership Class of 2012! As a Centurion, she will help plan task forces focused on transportation, sports, politics and elections and other issues facing greater Kansas City.

6/15/2010 Berry F. Laws, III, Desarae Harrah and Jane Woll attended the 4th Annual Real Estate Default Symposium in Dallas, TX, which was hosted by the Default Attorney Group.  Berry participated in the panel focusing on HAMP/HAFA.  Desarae focused on Foreclosure Basics 101 and 102.

6/ 9/2010 to 6/11/2010 Berry F. Laws, III attended the USFN Loan Servicing and Management Seminar in Charlotte, NC.

6/11/2010 The firm is pleased to announce that on June 11, 2010, the firm obtained a construction arbitration award from the American Arbitration Association in the amount of $1.277 million in favor of its client, Neighbors Construction Co., Inc. against the owner in connection with the Woodland Park apartment project in Topeka, Kansas.  Neighbors Construction filed the action for the owner’s breach, for nonpayment, of the general contract.   The arbitrator also ruled in favor of Neighbors Construction on the owner’s counterclaim which sought over $5 million in damages for alleged delays in completion.  As part of the award, Neighbors Construction was also awarded its attorneys’ fees as “prevailing party” under Kansas statutes, interest, and the costs of the arbitration.  Attorneys Thomas J. Fritzlen Jr. and Desarae Harrah represented Neighbors Construction during the eight days of hearings, and attorney Robert D. Kroeker briefed the legal issues that were ultimately found in favor of Neighbors Construction.

6/6/2010 to 6/8/2010 Berry F. Laws, III and Jane Woll attended the REO Expo, which was held in Dallas, TX.  The Expo, the first of its kind, was a huge success.

6/7/2010 Martin, Leigh, Laws & Fritzlen, P.C. is pleased to announce that Scott M. Brinkman has joined the firm as Senior Counsel. Starting June 7, 2010 he will be practicing in the Kansas City office.  More...

6/2010 Berry F. Laws, III, was recently appointed to the Executive Board of the Open Door Institute.  Open Door Institute is an organization committed to building connections between those who buy, sell and manage distressed residential and commercial real estates.

5/16/2010 to 5/18/2010 Berry F. Laws, III and Jane Woll attended the Texas Mortgage Bankers Association's 94th Annual Convention held in San Antonio, TX. Jane competed in the annual golf tournament and won the ladies longest drive contest.

5/13/2010 and 5/14/2010 Berry F. Laws, III attended the DS News Annual DARE Convention in Washington, DC.

5/10/2010 and 5/11/2010 Berry F. Laws, III, Beverly M. Weber and Jane Woll attended the Default Attorney Group training in Jacksonville, FL. The group had 164 attendees throughout the day, which included training for bankruptcy and foreclosure. Ms. Weber was a panelist for Foreclosure 101 and Foreclosure 102.

5/7/2010 Amy T. Ryan was a panelist at the Third Annual St. Louis Bankruptcy Conference sponsored by the Bankruptcy Practice Memorial Fund and Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis. The panel, which included Judge Thomas F. Waldron (retired) and Judge Kathy A. Surratt-States, addressed the topic Ethics: Attorneys, Deceptive Documents and Bankruptcy.

Amy is a member of the Board of Directors for the Memorial Fund, established as a collaborative effort between the judges of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri and the bankruptcy bar, to accomplish educational, charitable, and memorial projects to further bankruptcy practice. Amy will Chair the Board of Directors beginning June 1.
 

5/4/2010 Berry F. Laws III participated as a panelist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. The topic of the panel was “who benefits from Short Sales- A Ground-Zero Look at the new Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives Program (HAFA)”.

5/2/2010 and 5/3/2010, Berry F. Laws III attended the MBA’s Legal Issues Conference in San Diego, CA.

4/18/2010 Berry F. Laws III attended the Wingspan Portfolio Advisors 1st Annual Preferred Attorney Network Conference in Greenville South Carolina.

4/14/2010 to 4/17/2010 Berry F. Laws, III attended the 2010 Spring REOMAC Education Summit in Palm Desert, CA. Mr. Laws spoke on the panel for Legislative Updates.

4/5/2010 to 4/9/2010 Berry F. Laws, III attended several conferences in Dallas, TX. The Five Star Institute conducted its first Commercial Default 360 conference, in which Berry was a guest panelist on Receiverships. The Panel was entitled Utilizing Receiverships to Protect Your Assets. Mr. Laws also attended the Legal League 100’s Servicer Summit, as well as the 4th Annual Mortgage Servicing Conference.

3/10/2010 to 3/11/2010 Berry F. Laws, III and Jane Woll attended the Chase Foreclosure Attorney Summit in Dallas, TX.

2/23/2010 to 2/26/2010 Berry F. Laws, III and Jane Woll attended the MBA’s National Servicing Conference & Expo in San Diego, CA. Mr. Laws spoke on the Navigating Loss Mitigation Panel, which focused on how a servicer can avoid loss mitigation litigation. The panel also focused on fraud and misrepresentation claims, as well as breach of contract claims, as they relate to loss mitigation practices.

1/5/2010 and 2/25/2010 Amy T. Ryan spoke at the 2010 Missouri Bar Annual Bankruptcy Institutes.

1/1/2010 MLLF announces a new partner!

2009 - MLL&F/MoKan employees give to Harvesters Community Food Network during 2009.
 

11/4/2009 to 11/6/2009 Berry F. Laws, III, attended the National Property Preservation Conference in Washington, DC..

11/11/2009 to 11/15/2009 Berry F. Laws, III, attended the 2009 USFN Member Retreat held in Key Largo, FL.

11/16/2009 to 11/17/2009 Berry F. Laws, III, attended the Annual Housing Wire Conference held in Austin, TX.

11/28/2009 to 12/1/2009 Berry F. Laws, III, attended the Annual Distressed Investing Conference in New York, NY.

10/26/2009 Super Lawyer Awards

Berry Laws and Tom Fritzlen have been named 2009 Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers.

9/28/2009 HAMP and Tenant Protection

Berry F. Laws, III attended USFN's workshop, Understanding HAMP and Tenant Protection

9/11/2009 USFN Executive Servicer Summit
Berry F. Laws, III attended the USFN Executive Servicer Summit September 10-12 in Sonoma, CA.

8/20/2009 LPS 9th Annual Default Real Estate Conference
Berry F. Laws, III and Amy Wilson attended LPS 9th Annual Default Real Estate Conference, August 20-22, 2009 in Denver, CO.

8/9/2009 14th Annual Western States Loan Servicing Conference
Berry F. Laws, III attended the 14th Annual Western States Loan Servicing Conference in Las Vegas August 9-11, 2009. During the conference, Berry participated in the LPS Attorney Roundtable.

8/7/2009 Honda Bankruptcy Training
Steve Leigh, Carrie Mermis and Jane Woll recently did an OnSite bankruptcy training session for Honda’s Bankruptcy Department at their Dallas, TX offices.

8/7/2009 National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees 44th Annual Seminar
Steve Leigh, Carrie Mermis and Jane Woll attended the National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees 44th Annual Seminar July 1-4, 2009 in Boston, MA.

7/27/2009 Fidelity National Title Group
Richard L. Martin, Steven M. Leigh, Robert D. Kroeker and Shawn Briner recently presented a seminar at the Jacksonville, Florida office of Fidelity National Title Group. The seminar focused on common title issues arising in the states of Missouri, Kansas and Illinois.

7/23/2009 American Legal and Financial Network - Reverse Mortgages
Berry F. Laws, III and Jane Woll attended the AFN's 7th Annual Leadership Conference in Santa Ana Pueblo, NM July 21-24, 2009. During the conference, Berry was the Moderator for the Reverse Mortgage Panel.

7/16/2009 CONGRATULATIONS!
Steve Leigh has accepted an invitation to be a member of the President’s Advisory Council for William Jewell College.

7/16/2009 Top 100!!
MoKan Title Company comes in at #43 and Martin, Leigh, Laws & Fritzlen comes in at #76.

7/09/2009 USFN in Chicago
Berry F. Laws, III attended the USFN Legal Issues in Mortgage Servicing Seminar in Chicago on July 9 and 10, 2009.

7/06/2009 Harvesters Donation
Martin, Leigh, Laws & Fritzlen P.C. and MoKan Title Services, LLC. recently presented a check in the amount of $5,000 to Harvesters Community Food Network.

6/30/2009 NBI Missouri Foreclosures and Workouts
Martin, Leigh, Laws & Fritzlen, P.C. has been selected to present two (2) continuing legal education seminars on behalf of National Business Institute regarding a variety of foreclosure-related issues.

6/19/2009 Annual Real Estate Default Symposium
Berry F. Laws, III and Jane Woll attended the 3rd Annual Real Estate Default Symposium hosted by The Default Attorney Group in Dallas, TX on June 16, 2009. Mr. Laws spoke on Advanced Bankruptcy, as well as Hot Topics.

6/16/2009 8th Annual Attorney Summit
Berry F. Laws III attended the 8th Annual Attorney Summit hosted by Lender Processing Services in Minneapolis June 10 to June 12....

6/08/2009 USFN
Berry F. Laws III attended the USFN’s Loan Management & Servicing Seminar June 3-5, 2009 in New Orleans, LA.

5/12/2009 Distressed Asset Roundtable & Exchange
Berry F. Laws, III attended the DS News Distressed Asset Roundtable & Exchange held in New York City on May 12 and 13, 2009.

5/9/2009 St. Louis County Bar Association Trivia Night
The attorneys of the St. Louis office participated in the St. Louis County Bar Association Trivia Night on May 9, 2009.

5/6/2009 Buyers Beware!
Read about the foreclosed housing scam published in MortgageOrb.

5/4/2009 MBA's Legal Issues and Regulatory Compliance Conference
Berry F. Laws, III attended Opal Financial's Real Estate Investor's Summit in Orlando, FL held on April 28 and 29, 2009.

5/5/2009 LPS Attorney Summit
Berry F. Laws, III has been appointed to serve on the LPS Attorney Roundtable during their annual Attorney Summit to be held in June in Minneapolis, MN

4/28/2009 BASIL Panelist
Amy T. Ryan was a panelist at the 2009 Bankruptcy Association of Southern Illinois (BASIL) Bankruptcy Conference on April 23, 2009

4/22/2009 2009 Texas MBA
Berry F. Laws, III and Jane Woll attended the Texas Mortgage Bankers Association’s 5th Annual Loan Servicing Conference on April 15 and 16 in Frisco, TX

4/8/2009 2009 REOMAC
Berry F. Laws, III attended the 2009 REOMAC Spring Conference held in Palm Desert, CA April 4-7

4/2/2009 Affirmation
Missouri Court of Appeals affirmed an $87,000.00 judgment in favor of the firm’s client

3/30/2009 Top Ten 2009
Martin, Leigh, Laws & Fritzlen, P.C. is proud to announce its selection, for the second year in a row, as one of Kansas City’s Top 10 Small Businesses of the Year

3/30/2009 Reappointment
Berry F. Laws, III has been reappointed to the Advisory Board for Bank of America's Clarifier Channel

3/25/2009 Hunter's Hope 09
Berry F. Laws, III attended Hunter’s Hope Foundation’s Annual Fundraising Ball in New York on March 22, 2009

3/25/2009 USFN Conference
Berry F. Laws, III attended the USFN Loan Servicing & Management Conference in Orlando, FL

3/25/2009 Chairman
Congratulations to Berry F. Laws, III for being elected as Chair of the AFN’s Legal Services Committee

3/2/2009 MBA NMSC
Berry F. Laws, III and Jane Woll attended the MBA's National Mortgage Servicing Conference and Expo in Tampa, FL February 17-20, 2009

2/19/2009 MBA
Jane Woll and Berry Laws attended a bowling night at Splitsville Lanes in Tampa during the MBA

1/15/2009 Rocky Mountian Symposium
Berry F. Laws, III, Desarea Harrah and Jane Woll attended the Default Attorney Group’s Rocky Mountain Symposium

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