Bios – United Trustees Association

Michael Belote, Esq.

Mike Belote is president of California Advocates, Inc., one of Sacramento’s oldest contract lobbying firms. His 35-year lobbying career began with association lobbying jobs with CPAs, Realtors and title companies, and he has been a contract lobbyist since 1990. Specialties include issues relating to the judicial branch, real estate, and financial services, including judges, civil defense lawyers, employment law, and more. Mike has represented the United Trustees Association for nearly 30 years. He also represents a diverse range of other clients including new car dealers and Apple. A division of Belote’s firm also is one of Sacramento’s biggest association management providers. He is known for philanthropic work relating to domestic violence and veteran’s services, and he sponsors a lecture series every year discussing a key issue of California policy.

He can be reached at mbelote@caladvocates.com.

Wednesday (October 7) 9:30AM – 11:00AM Legislative Update

Mark S. Blackman, Esq.

Mark S. Blackman is an experienced bankruptcy, business, and real estate litigator. He represents clients in all aspects of creditors’ rights matters including, but not limited to, bankruptcy proceedings, judicial foreclosures, real property foreclosures, title and escrow company disputes, interpleaders, and all aspects of bankruptcy, manufactured housing and mobile home transactions and litigation. Mr. Blackman, recently joined the law firm of Barrett, Daffin, Frappier, Treder & Weiss, LLP (“BDF Law Group”), and is licensed to practice law in California and Nevada.

Memberships/Accomplishments:

Mr. Blackman is a former president of the San Fernando Valley Bar Association (“SFVBA”). He has served as the chair for the SFVBA’s Community Service Committee and Blanket the Homeless Program for almost 30 years. Mr. Blackman has also served on the Board of Directors for the Valley Community Legal Foundation for over six years.

Additionally, Mr. Blackman presently serves on the Board for the Clark County Bar Association and serves as co-chair of the CCBA’s Community Service Committee which works with many local organizations in Las Vegas.

Mr. Blackman also serves on the Board for the California Manufactured Housing Institute.

Mr. Blackman previously served as a board member for the Los Angeles Chapter of the California Trustees Association and the United Trustees Association. He has served as a member of the Loyola Law School Board of Governors, as a member of the Formation Committee for the Woodland Hills-Warner Center Neighborhood Council which is part of the City of Los Angeles Department of Neighborhood Empowerment and as a member of the Board of Directors for the Valley Cultural Center.

Mr. Blackman has conducted programs on bankruptcy law unlawful detainers (evictions) and mobile home foreclosures for the San Fernando Valley Bar Association, the Los Angeles Chapter of the California Trustees Association and the United Trustees Association. Mr. Blackman is also a regular contributor to the UTA Quarterly.

Before joining BDF Law Group in 2019, Mr. Blackman was a partner with Alpert, Barr & Grant, APLC for almost 30 years, and was of Counsel to Wright, Finlay and Zak, LLP.Education/Court Admissions:
• Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from UCLA
• Juris Doctor from Loyola University School of Law, 1985.
• Licensed to practice in California and Nevada and before the United States District Courts for the Central, Northern, Southern and Eastern Districts of California and the District of Nevada.

Mr. Blackman can be reached at 661-371-7046 and markbl@bdflawgroup.com .

Tuesday (October 6) 9:30AM – 10:45AM Bankruptcy Case Updates

Andrew Boylan, Esq.

Andrew Boylan is a Partner with McCarthy & Holthus, LLP overseeing Risk Management & Compliance for the firm. After graduating from the University of San Diego, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Spanish, he received his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of San Diego School of Law and his MBA from the University of San Diego Graduate School of Business Administration. He is a member of the United Trustees Association (UTA) where he serves on the Board of Directors and previously received the New Member of the Year award, the American Legal & Financial Network (ALFN) where he received the Picture the Future Award from the Junior Professional & Executives Group, and the California Mortgage Bankers Association (CMBA) where he was a part of the group’s Future Leaders Program. He has spoken on regulatory and legal compliance issues at numerous mortgage industry events. Mr. Boylan has received the highest possible AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell® by members of the Bar and Judiciary in both legal ability and ethical standards. He is licensed to practice law in the States of California and Washington. He can be reached at aboylan@mccarthyholthus.com.

Thursday (October 8) 9:30AM – 10:45AM Case Law Updates

Kent E. Cammack, Esq.

Kent Cammack focuses on commercial disputes in both the state and federal courts, where he has extensive litigation and trial experience in the areas of commercial disputes, real estate, receiverships, lender liability, products liability, landlord/tenant and employment issues (including non competition agreements and sexual harassment). In addition to his trial experience, Kent has an extensive background in the collection and “workouts” of secured and unsecured loans. He is a recognized authority on foreclosure law, including related topics of state court receiverships, collection of deficiencies, and workouts of defaulted real estate loans.

Kent serves as a mediator and arbitrator in various commercial disputes.

Kent is one of the authors of Ins and Outs of Foreclosures, published by the State Bar of Arizona, and he is the author of numerous educational materials. He is a popular speaker at state and county bar seminars and private seminars on foreclosure law, lender liability, bad faith, title insurance and related topics. He has also drafted and testified regarding proposed legislation relating to mortgages, deeds of trust, and lien enforcement. Kent is AV® Preeminent™ rated by Martindale-Hubbell®, representing the highest rating in legal ability and ethical standards. He can be reached at kcammack@gustlaw.com.

Wednesday (October 7) 1:30PM – 2:30PM Arizona Legal Updates

Christopher L. Carman

Christopher L. Carman is Litigation & Compliance Counsel for BSI Financial Services, a specialty sub-servicer, which has offices in Texas, Pennsylvania and California. He is responsible for oversight of litigation involving BSI, which involves not only contested default matters, but also defensive and complex litigation. He is admitted to practice law in the States of Texas and California, and is a graduate of the University of Texas for both Finance and Law.

Mr. Carman has been in the mortgage servicing industry for over twenty years, with most of that time spent as in-house counsel for a number of mortgage servicers. He also has experience working for default servicing law firms. Mr. Carman has spoken on a number of panels for the MBA, USFN, ALFN and CTA.

Wednesday (October 7) 2:45PM – 3:45PM Servicing Through COVID-19

Holly Chisa

Holly Chisa has been active in state, local and federal government issues for over 20 years. Currently, Holly is the owner of her own lobbying firm, HPC Advocacy, LLC and works to provide her clients with the best representation possible in the Washington state Legislature and local municipalities.

Holly’s involvement in government affairs began in 1994. She has worked as a
campaign consultant, and also as House and Senate staff. She also worked in the 106th Congress as District Field Representative for U.S. Congressman Adam Smith. In 2001, she began lobbying as the Governmental Affairs Manager for the Washington Food Industry (WFI), primarily representing retail grocery, pharmacy, and food manufacturers’ interests. In 2003, she opened HPC Advocacy, her privately owned lobbying firm.

Through this work Holly has developed a broad-based knowledge of the issues facing employers. She focuses primarily on reforming major employer programs, including workers’ compensation and health care. She also works with environmental legislation, regulatory reform, beverage and spirit issues, and foreclosure law. In addition to working the halls of state government, Holly has also worked extensively with local governments, protecting client interests with both large and small municipalities on local ordinances, tax issues, and regulatory requirements. She can be reached at HollyChisa@hpcadvocacy.com.

Wednesday (October 7) 9:30AM – 11:00AM Legislative Update

Cathe Cole-Sherburn

Cathe Cole-Sherburn serves as Senior Vice President of Default Operations for Trustee Corps. She is responsible for managing all aspects of operations, including audit, compliance and strategic planning and development of all offices.

Cathe brings over 35 years of all aspects of real estate mortgage default experience to the company.

Before joining Trustee Corps, Cathe was with the First American Trustee Servicing Solutions, where she was Senior Vice President. While there, her duties included the oversight and management of the Trustee Division. Prior to that, she was with the firm of Routh Crabtree Olsen/Northwest Trustee Services, where she was the Director of Operations and instrumental in setting up the AZ, CA, and HI offices and obtaining the Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae Counsel Designations. Prior to that, she was the Director of Operations for the Law Offices of Steven J. Melmet, Inc., for 14 years, and instrumental in obtaining in the Freddie Mac Designation and HUD Foreclosure Commissioner for state of CA.

Cathe has served as President of the United Trustees Association, as well as a Board member of the Women in Legal Leadership for American Legal & Financial Network. She is also a member of Arizona Trustee Association, Mortgage Bankers Association, California Mortgage Bankers Association, National Association of Professional Women and Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics.

Cathe can be seen as a Moderator and/or Panelist at various industry conferences and provides seminars/training to our existing clients. She can be reached at ccole@trusteecorps.com .

Tuesday (October 6) 2:00PM – 3:30PM Large Trustees Roundtable

Robert Cullen

Robert Cullen has over 26 years of foreclosure experience which encompass both trustee and loan servicing related organizations. He started his career in 1989 as a Trustee Sale Officer for a small mortgage company processing their own foreclosures. He helped found Redwood Trust Deed Services, Inc. in 1992 as a small independent foreclosure trustee. As the owner and operator, Robert has experienced first-hand the myriad of changes, both good and bad, in the foreclosure industry. He has processed foreclosures for a wide variety of both lenders and borrowers. He helped Redwood Trust Dee add loan servicing to its list of services and continues to be intimately involved in the day to day activities. He has also held a California Bureau of Real Estate license since 1991. He can be reached at robert@redwoodtrustdeed.com .

Tuesday (October 6) 2:00PM – 3:30PM Small Trustees Roundtable

David Dutcher

David Dutcher is President of iMailTracking, LLC, and an enthusiastic supporter of the UTA. He began his career in 1988 after earning his law degree from UC Hastings in San Francisco and practicing business litigation in Palo Alto, California. Since then, David has spent most of his career working with independent business units in a variety of industries, including insurance and court reporting. In 2010, he moved into the mortgage default industry with a position at Prommis Solutions. While there, he had more than 70 direct reports distributed across a high-volume evictions department, a post and pub vendor, and Interface Inc., a mail vendor (now known as iMailTracking). In 2015, David and his business partner, Dave Neal, and several other investors, purchased iMailTracking – an important vendor partner for many UTA members. David lives in Poway, California, with his wife, Stephanie, and his children, Lincoln and Paisley. He can be reached at David.Dutcher@imailtracking.com .

Monday (October 5) 11:00AM – 11:30AM Annual Meeting

T. Robert Finlay, Esq.

T. Robert Finlay is one of the three founding partners of Wright, Finlay & Zak. Since 1994, Mr. Finlay has focused his legal career on consumer credit, business and real estate litigation and has extensive experience with trials, mediations, arbitrations and appeals. Mr. Finlay is at the forefront of the mortgage banking industry, handling all aspects of the ever-changing default servicing and mortgage banking litigation arena, including compliance issues for servicers, lenders, investors, title companies and foreclosure trustees. Mr. Finlay successfully guides clients through the complexities of litigation while being extremely mindful of their core values and business models. He is a regular speaker (at industry events and for clients) on a variety of loan servicing and mortgage banking issues, including key legislative and legal updates, California and Nevada Homeowner Bill of Rights (HOBR), Nevada HOA lien problems and other relevant litigation and compliance issues.

Mr. Finlay is an active member of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), California Mortgage Bankers Association (CMBA), United Trustees Association (UTA), American Legal and Financial Network (ALFN), and Orange County Bar Association. For over 7 years, Mr. Finlay served as a Committee Member and Board Member of the United Trustees Association, being elected as President in 2011 and 2012. Since 2013, he has been Chair of the UTA’s Legislative Committee, working closely with lobbyists in California, Nevada, Washington and Oregon on key industry issues. Mr. Finlay has also been on the Legislative Committee for the CMBA since 2013. Mr. Finlay is a regular contributor to several industry periodicals and has also authored pertinent Amicus Briefs on key issues impacting the mortgage and finance industry. His key published opinions include Mabry v. Superior Court (2010) 185 Cal.App.4th 208 (Amicus counsel) and Bostanian v. Liberty Saving Bank (1997) 52 Cal.App.4th.

Mr. Finlay’s hobbies include playing tennis and woodworking. He can be reached at rfinlay@wrightlegal.net.

Wednesday (October 7) 9:30AM – 11:00AM Legislative Update

Stephen T. Hicklin, Esq.

Steve Hicklin has worked in the mortgage banking industry for more than thirty years. He has litigated cases as in house counsel for a number of lenders and servicers, including WMC Mortgage Corp., Glendale Federal Bank and Countrywide Home Loans. In 2006, Steve began as the Compliance Manager and later as the Chief Compliance Officer, for ReconTrust Company, Inc., at one time the nation’s largest foreclosure trustee. He has since served as General Counsel for Northwest Trustee Services and as the Managing Attorney for the California office of Bonial & Associates, P.C. In 2018, Steve founded The Hicklin Firm, an Orange County litigation boutique and in 2020 became Of Counsel to Bonial & Associates, P.C. Steve was awarded the UTA’s Dorothy Schick Veteran Member of the Year in 2019 and is a frequent speaker at industry events. He is admitted to the California, Texas, and Washington state bars. He can be reached at shicklin@thehicklinfirm.com .

Thursday (October 8) 9:30AM – 10:45AM Case Law Updates

Lauren King, Triadvocates

Lauren’s diverse background in media relations and public affairs, along with her expertise in issues involving private and public sector technology and real estate policy, make her a valuable asset to the Triadvocates team. Recognized by the Arizona Capitol Times as one of the top lobbyists in the state under the age of 40, Lauren represents the firm’s interests before the Arizona State Legislature, the Office of the Governor, state agencies and various municipalities.

Prior to joining Triadvocates, Lauren served as an account executive at a top marketing and public relations firm, where she was responsible for executing local and national media campaigns for clients ranging from nonprofit groups to Fortune 500 companies. Her background also includes having developed and implemented grassroots campaigns surrounding legislation for one of Arizona’s largest nonprofit organizations. With an academic focus in journalism, Lauren has been a contributing writer for one of Arizona’s largest newspapers and has extensive experience working with local, national and international reporters and news outlets.

Lauren is a proud supporter of several local organizations, including St. Vincent de Paul and Child Crisis Arizona, and is currently the Chair-Elect of the Herberger Theater Center’s Young Leadership Board—a group of young professionals with the primary purpose of ensuring that kids in our community – regardless of income or zip code – have access to arts education. An avid runner and snowboarder, Lauren spends as much time as possible outdoors and in the mountains. She currently lives in downtown Phoenix, and can be found at a local dog-friendly watering hole with Phoebe – her 70-pound Goldendoodle – on the weekends.

Lauren can be reached at Lauren@triadvocates.com .

Wednesday (October 7) 1:30PM – 2:30PM Arizona Legal Updates

Elizabeth M. Knight

Elizabeth M. Knight is President/CEO of the PLM Family of Companies; PLM Loan Management Services, Inc., an independent trustee service which specializes in non-judicial foreclosures in California and Nevada, PLM Lender Services, Inc., an independent private investor loan servicing company, PLM Loan Processing Center, Inc., an independent document drawing service and PFD Insurance Services, LLC, an independent trustee service which specializes in non-judicial foreclosures in Arizona.

Elizabeth has been in the foreclosure and loan servicing field since 1981. PLM is celebrating its 39th year in business. Elizabeth has been in the real estate field (with emphasis on escrow and loan documents prior to 1981) since 1977. She currently holds the position of Vice President on the Board of Directors of the California Mortgage Association, is on the Board of Directors of the United Trustees Association and is a member of the Arizona Trustee Association. Elizabeth is a graduate of St. Mary’s College (Moraga) with her Bachelor’s degree in Business Management with a minor in English and an Associate’s degree in Business with a minor in real estate from West Valley College (Saratoga). She is a speaker for various trade associations and groups. She is a licensed California Real Estate Broker with her NMLS endorsement. She can be reached at liz@plmweb.com .

Monday (October 5) 3:00PM – 4:00PM COVID-19 Clean-up
Thursday (October 8) 3:00PM – 4:00PM Working with Private Beneficiaries

Benjamin R. Levinson, Esq.

Benjamin R. Levinson has been representing private mortgage lenders, foreclosure trustees, and receivers in State Courts and all Bankruptcy Courts in California since 1985. His practice emphasizes defending lenders, foreclosure trustees, and third party purchasers in foreclosure-related litigation; lender and receiver representation in state court receivership actions; lender representation in judicial foreclosures and post-foreclosure evictions; and representation of secured and unsecured creditors in bankruptcy.

Mr. Levinson has been a seminar speaker for the California Mortgage Association and the United Trustees Association on various foreclosure and bankruptcy topics over the last thirty-four years. Mr. Levinson is licensed to practice in all of the Superior and Appellate courts for the State of California and the Supreme Court for the State of California. He has extensive experience in litigating various real property cases in State Courts throughout the State of California.

Mr. Levinson is also licensed to practice in all Federal District Courts and Bankruptcy Courts in California and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and he has extensive experience handling real estate and bankruptcy matters in those courts as well.

Mr. Levinson is a member of the State Bar of California, the Santa Clara County Bar Association, the Bar Association of San Francisco, the California Mortgage Association, the American Bankruptcy Institute, the Bay Area Bankruptcy Forum, the San Jose chapter of American Inns of Court solely dedicated to bankruptcy reorganization practice, and on the Board of Directors for the United Trustees Association.

Mr. Levinson received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Santa Clara in 1984 and his Bachelor of Arts from the University of California Santa Barbara in 1979.
Mr. Levinson can be reached at ben@benlevinsonlaw.com.

Tuesday (October 6) 9:30AM – 10:45AM Bankruptcy Case Updates

Martin T. McGuinn, Esq.

Marty has extensive experience in representing creditors, fiduciaries, loan servicers and foreclosure trustees in complex bankruptcy, foreclosure and lender liability litigation, including class actions. He acts as an expert witness on foreclosure and lending issues on cases throughout California.

Marty has served as a Director and State Legislative Chairman of the United Trustee’s Association. He is a member of the Legal Issues Committee of the Mortgage Bankers Association of America and Loan Servicing Committee of the California Mortgage Bankers Association. Marty also served as a member of the Legal Resource Panel of the California Mortgage Association (formerly the California Trust Deed Brokers Association). He is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, the REO Managers Association and of the San Diego Bankruptcy Forum.

Marty is rated AV® by Martindale-Hubbell, their highest rating of skill and integrity, indicating very high to pre-eminent legal ability and very high ethical standards as established by confidential opinions from members of the bar. He can be reached at mmcguinn@kirbymac.com.

Thursday (October 8) 9:30AM – 10:45AM Case Law Updates

Christopher M. McNichol, Esq.

Christopher McNichol concentrates his practice on commercial and real estate transactions, including the sale and purchase, development, lease, title insurance and construction issues, and related litigation in these areas. In addition, Chris handles creditors’ rights matters, including loan workouts, judicial and non judicial foreclosures, deeds in lieu, receiverships, deficiency and guarantor actions, and bankruptcy.

Chris represents lending and financial institutions, mortgage lenders and brokers, title and escrow companies, real estate brokers and agents, developers, contractors, and individuals. He writes and lectures frequently at bar and industry seminars on real estate, lending, litigation and creditors’ rights topics, and is a teacher at the Arizona School of Real Estate and Business.

Chris has served as a mediator and arbitrator in various disputes involving commercial and real estate transactions and construction matters

Chris is one of the Southwest Super Lawyers® for Real Estate Law. He is AV® Preeminent™ rated by Martindale-Hubbell®, representing the highest rating in legal ability and ethical standards, and was named by Arizona Business Magazine in Ranking Arizona Best of the Best Award Winner. He can be reached at mcnichol@gustlaw.com.

Michelle A. Mierzwa, Esq.

Michelle A. Mierzwa joined Wright, Finlay & Zak’s Compliance, Licensing and Regulatory Division in 2015, providing loan originators, lenders, servicers, trustees and others in the mortgage industry with state and federal compliance and regulatory counsel. Since 1998, her accomplishments include the management and resolution of litigated matters through jury and bench trials and appellate practice, creating the legal department for one of the largest non-judicial foreclosure trustees in the Western United States, the coordination of compliance audits, and managing the California branch of a national law firm. Ms. Mierzwa has worked with lenders and mortgage servicers of all sizes to ensure their compliance with state and federal laws, including, but not limited to, California Consumer Privacy Act, California and Nevada Homeowner Bill of Rights, state and federal FDCPA, RESPA, TILA, SCRA, Washington Foreclosure Fairness Act, Nevada, Oregon and Washington Foreclosure Mediation Programs, Dodd-Frank Act and CFPB Rules, state licensing laws, and governmental and regulatory agency investigations.

Ms. Mierzwa is serving her third three-year terms on the Board of Directors of the United Trustees Association (UTA) and is a member of the Legislative Committees of the California Mortgage Bankers Association and the UTA. She has monitored, proposed and analyzed new legislation affecting the industry, has participated on speaking panels for national lending industry conferences, and has provided education and clarification to the industry regarding the Dodd-Frank Act and the Servicing Rules of the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau. Prior to her in-house and management experience, Ms. Mierzwa was a litigation and appellate attorney at a default services firm for ten years and worked in loan originations for three years. Ms. Mierzwa is licensed to practice in California and Washington.

She can be reached at mmierzwa@wrightlegal.net .

Monday (October 5) 3:00PM – 4:00PM COVID-19 Clean-up

Randy Newman

Randy Newman is one of the principals of Total Lender Solutions. Licensed as an attorney in New York since 1989 and New Jersey since 1994, Randy has personally represented hundreds of buyers, sellers, owners, and lenders in connection with the sale, purchase, finance, lease, and foreclosure of residential and commercial real property throughout the United States. Randy holds a BBA in Accounting and is licensed as a real estate broker in California. Randy is certified by the United Trustees Association as a Trustee Sale Officer, Level II California. Randy has previously been an adjunct assistant professor of business law and currently teaches Real Estate Principles to aspiring new real estate licensees and trains new real estate agents on contracts and real estate transactions in California. He can be reached at rnewman@totallendersolutions.com .

Friday (October 2) 9:30AM – 5:00PM California Intermediate Foreclosure Certification Course (Level 2)

Michael Orth

Michael Orth is President of Golden West Foreclosure Service, Inc. In this role, Michael looks after, coordinates, manages and leads a team providing all aspects of the non-judicial foreclosure process. Michael has over 28 years’ experience as an independent trustee for banks, credit unions, mortgage brokers and private lenders. Michael received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a minor in Management from San Francisco State University, where he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. Michael is also a licensed California Real Estate Broker and a Certified Sommelier. He is married, has two children and a four-year-old Labrador Retriever. He can be reached at gwfs@earthlink.net .

Thursday (October 8) 3:00PM – 4:00PM Working with Private Beneficiaries

Susan Pettem

Susan Pettem is a longtime title insurance industry sales executive, with multiple years at several top national title organizations, primarily within the Fidelity National Financial family of companies.

Susan’s expertise is in the default and REO areas of the mortgage industry as well as originations (both residential and commercial transactions), with particular experience in national foreclosure title as well as REO title, title curative-resolution and closing of the transaction, providing those services to law firms, banks, national mortgage companies and investors.

Susan is Senior Vice President of National Sales for Novare National Settlement Service, a division of Fidelity National Financial (FNF). Novare offers an efficient and customer-focused national title and escrow/closing platform with multiple locations. The company offers direct processing within the organization nationally, streamlining processes and expediting efficient end results. The team at Novare is highly client-focused, realizing that every client has unique needs and requirements and provide customized solutions according to their clients’ needs. Novar utilizes robust internal processing systems and is integrated with multiple transactional platforms.

Susan is a longtime member of the United Trustees Association, a non-profit focused on educational excellence of its’ national membership and industry at large. She also is a member of the REOMAC organization and actively attends all of the relevant industry educational conferences nationally including Five Star and MBA events. She can be reached at Susan.Pettem@novarenss.com .

Wednesay (October 7) 2:45PM – 3:45PM Servicing Through COVID-19

Lee S. Raphael, Esq.

Lee S. Raphael is the owner and managing attorney of Prober & Raphael where he oversees the firm’s California foreclosure, civil litigation, and collections practices as well and the firm’s nationwide bankruptcy practice. He has extensive experience with bankruptcy, real estate, and federal appellate matters.

Mr. Raphael has been a featured speaker on multiple occasions at both the United Trustees Association’s Annual Education Conference and the Central District of California Bankruptcy Judge’s Annual Retreat. Additionally, he has moderated and participated in webinars and training seminars for the American Legal & Financial Network (ALFN) and Legal League 100. Mr. Raphael has also been a panelist on bankruptcy lien strips for the San Fernando Valley Bar Association and the Central District Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys Association, on Chapter 13 Local Rule changes for the Central District of California and on How to Get Your Chapter 13 Case Confirmed for the San Fernando Valley Bar Association. Furthermore, Mr. Raphael has been a moderator and featured panelist on various bankruptcy issues at ANSWERS, the ALFN’s annual leadership conference and their regional TEACH events.

Mr. Raphael taught Real Property law for the Legal Education Conference Center and served on both the Central District of California Bankruptcy Forms Committee and the Central District of California’s Relief from Stay Task Force. Mr. Raphael currently serves on the ALFN’s Executive Bankruptcy Committee and the National Association of Chapter Thirteen Trustee’s Mortgage Committee. He has served on various Bankruptcy Sub-Committees for the National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees. Mr. Raphael was also a member of the Southern California Bankruptcy Inns of the Court and Central District of California’s Bar Rules Advisory Group’s Relief from Stay Working Group.

Mr. Raphael’s professional affiliations include and/or have included: the Mortgage Bankers Association, ALFN, Legal League 100, American Bar Association, Los Angeles County Bar Association, San Fernando Valley Bar Association, Los Angeles Bankruptcy Forum, United Trustees Association, National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees, Central District Consumer Bankruptcy Attorney Association and the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel.

Mr. Raphael earned his bachelor’s degree in Sociology from California State University Northridge and his Juris Doctor from Southwestern University School of Law, where he received the Dean’s Scholar Designation. He was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1995 and is also admitted to all California Federal District Courts as well as the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In addition, Mr. Raphael has maintained a perfect 5.0 AV Preeminent peer review rating from Martindale-Hubbell for over 20 years. He can be reached at lraphael@pralc.com .

Tuesday (October 6) 9:30AM – 10:45AM Bankruptcy Case Updates

Caitlyn Reynolds

In 2008, I started at a small town bank in the Northwest Corner of CT, in a loan department of only two people. We did everything from originations to post-closing. From there I advanced my career by moving to a larger mortgage company in 2012 as a closer, graduating to an underwriter for residential mortgages. Up until 2019, I worked in residential doing some processing work and then had a brief stint working for a large financial institution originating loans and working customer service. February 2019 I began at Elite Commercial Servicing (ECS) as a general servicer, processing construction draws, preparing and entering incoming payoffs, and working with the Collections team. During the next year, I began working with investors and regularly processing remits, moving up to a more Data CSR position within the department. In March 2020, I was promoted to the full-time servicing department supervisor/manager which brings us to where we are today. I was born in and still reside here in CT, with my son. She can be reached at CReynolds@elitecommercialservicing.com .

Wednesday (October 7) 2:45PM – 3:45PM Servicing Through COVID-19

Candace Russell

Candace Russell is Vice President of Post Sale activities in Default Servicing at Carrington Mortgage Services and in that capacity leads CMS’s efforts to manage default inventory as well as reduce enterprise risk factors. CMS is a vertically integrated real estate and mortgage company which specializes across the life cycle of single family assets.

Her experience in the mortgage industry is broad and deep, covering mortgage originations, performing loans, loss mitigation, foreclosure, claims and risk management. Candace is currently Chair for the MBA’s Loan Administration Committee. When time allows she enjoys roller derby and attempting to play the banjo. She can be reached at Candace.Russell@Carringtonms.com .

Wednesday (October 7) 2:45PM – 3:45PM Servicing Through COVID-19

Rick Sharga

Rick is the Executive Vice President of RealtyTrac, a leading foreclosure search and discovery website used by real estate agents and investors. In this role, Rick is responsible for Marketing and Industry Relations, and is the company’s primary spokesperson. Prior to RealtyTrac, Rick was the founder and CEO of CJ Patrick Company, a consulting firm that helped real estate, financial services, and technology companies develop a position of competitive advantage and use it to drive business strategy, marketing, and sales.

One of the country’s most frequently-quoted sources on real estate, mortgage and foreclosure trends, Rick has appeared regularly over the past 15 years on CNBC, the CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, CNN, ABC World News, FOX, Bloomberg and NPR. Rick is a founding member of the Five Star National Mortgage Servicing Association, a member of the Board of Directors of REOMAC, and was included in the Inman News Inman 100, an annual list of the most influential leaders in real estate in both 2013 and 2014.

An accomplished executive with over 25 years of experience in consumer and B2B marketing, Rick was formerly an Executive Vice President for Carrington Mortgage Holdings, and Chief Marketing Officer of the company’s Vylla business unit. Rick was previously the Chief Marketing Officer of Ten-X, the leading online real estate marketplace, where he started in July of 2013 as EVP of the company’s Auction.com business unit.

He can be reached at rick.sharga@cjpatrick.com .

Monday (October 5) 10:00AM – 11:00AM Default Servicing Economic Forecast

Marsha Townsend

Marsha Townsend is Chief Financial Officer of Mortgage Lender Services, Inc. and its’ subsidiary Sunrise Assessment Services located in Fair Oaks, CA. Ms. Townsend began her career with Pacific Plan of California in 1976 where she originated private money loans before transferring to the servicing and foreclosure department. In 1982, she began Mortgage Lender Services processing California foreclosures for institutional and private lenders. Ms. Townsend opened up Sunrise Assessment Services in 1999 to assist homeowner associations with their collection accounts. She has testified as an expert witness for the US Marshal’s office. Marsha has served on the Board of the United Trustees Association (UTA) and served as the Chief Financial Officer for the California Trustee’s Association’s Capital Region Chapter from 1986 – 2004. Ms. Townsend has taught the California Certification I course on numerous occasions for UTA. In addition, Ms. Townsend has obtained California certification on both levels I and II and holds a California brokers license. She can be reached at MTownsend@mtglenderservices.com .

Friday (October 2) 9:30AM – 1:00PM Californi Basic Foreclosure Certification Course (Level 1)