Martin Leigh Laws & Fritzlen PC

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Our firm was founded on March 1, 1989. We operate statewide in Missouri and Kansas and also in the southern counties of Illinois. We are committed to professional and ethical representation of the mortgage servicing and default industries, excellence in timeline management, the ability to offer cradle to grave processes, assistance to reduce severity of loss through loss mitigation programs, the highest degree of litigation support to protect our clients and the deployment of state of the art technology and integration of systems to enhance our efficiency.

MoKan Title Services provides basic and special title insurance coverage and services for residential and commercial lenders on new loans, refinancing of existing loans and foreclosure actions in ALL counties in Missouri and Kansas.

Martin, Leigh, Laws & Fritzlen, P.C. provides full legal services statewide in both Missouri and Kansas. We have significant expertise in the following areas:

Our firm has extensive experience in all areas of creditor's rights, including residential and commercial foreclosure, bankruptcy, and commercial litigation.

Berry F. Laws, III and Jane Woll attended the USFN Annual Member's Retreat in Nassau, Bahamas. Jane spoke on the panel "Marketing Your Law Firm". The firm also received an Award of Excellence from the USFN during the retreat.

Martin Leigh Laws & Fritzlen, P.C. is proud to announce that Kevin McManus was recently elected to the Missouri House of Representatives (46th District). McManus is an attorney in the firm's Kansas City office and practices primarily in real estate and commercial litigation. McManus won the general election with 63% of the popular vote and will represent portions of south Kansas City, Grandview and Lee's Summit, Missouri in Jefferson City. His campaign focused on issues such as fiscal responsibility, education, jobs and the economy, ethics reform, and the environment. Kevin's positive attitude and extraordinary work ethic will make him a great representative for all Missourians.

Martin, Leigh, Laws & Fritzlen, P.C. is pleased to announce that Steven M. Leigh, Berry F. Laws, III and Thomas J. Fritzlen, all partners of the firm, have been named 2010 Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers. This is Mr. Laws' fifth consecutive year to be named a Super Lawyer, with this being Mr. Fritzlen's third consecutive year. This is Mr. Leigh's first year as being named. Only 5% of Missouri & Kansas attorneys are chosen each year. Each attorney chosen is based on a statewide nomination process, peer review by practice area and independent research on each candidate.

Martin, Leigh, Laws & Fritzlen, P.C. is proud to announce that they have received the 2010 USFN Diamond Award of Excellence in the State of Kansas. The Award of Excellence is given annually to USFN Member firms who meet rigorous standards which evaluate professional activities, industry volunteerism and community and charitable involvement by the firm. Recipients are honored each year at USFN's Annual Member Education Retreat, held in the late fall. USFN, founded in 1988, is the nation's oldest and most prestigious trade association of law firms and trustee companies who focus on creditors' rights. The Award of Excellence program was initiated in 1993 to recognize and encourage Member firms to develop and maintain high standards of excellence in service to industry clients and to their community.

Berry Laws attended the MBA's Regulatory Compliance conference in Washington, DC.

Berry Laws attended the Five Star Default Servicing and Legal League conferences in Dallas, TX.

Berry Laws attended the CMBA Western States Loan Servicing conference in Las Vegas, NV.

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.

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.

Missouri and Kansas Legislatures Introduce Foreclosure Legislation Affecting Heirs Assets and MERS Respectively.

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Richard Gray 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.

Jonathan K. Glassman 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.

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.

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.

Berry F. Laws, III attended the USFN Loan Servicing and Management Seminar in Charlotte, NC.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Berry F. Laws, III attended the DS News Annual DARE Convention in Washington, DC.

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.

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.

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)".

Berry F. Laws III attended the MBA's Legal Issues Conference in San Diego, CA.

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

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

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.

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

Berry F. Laws, III and Jane Woll attended the MBA's National Servicing Conference & Expo in San Diego, CA Feb. 23-26, 2010. 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.

Amy T. Ryan of the St. Louis office was a speaker at the 2010 Missouri Bar Annual Bankruptcy Institutes in St. Louis and Cape Girardeau. Amy spoke on mortgage issues in a bankruptcy context including RESPA, loss mitigation options and reaffirmation agreements.

Martin, Leigh, Laws & Fritzlen, P.C. is pleased to announce that Beverly M. Weber has been named a Partner of the firm effective January 1, 2010. Beverly is a 2001 graduate of the University of Missouri at Kansas City Law School. She is a member of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, the Missouri Bar Association, the Kansas Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the Association for Women Lawyers. Beverly is admitted to practice in State and Federal courts in Kansas and Missouri, and her practice is concentrated in the areas of Title Insurance Defense Litigation, Creditor’s Rights, Commercial and Secured Transactions and General Civil Litigation. She has been with the firm since March, 2003.

MLLF and MoKan Title's 2009 company Charity was Harvesters Community Food Network. Harvesters is Kansas City's only food bank that provides food assistance to nearly 60,000 different people each week. This year we have collected well over 2,000 items and $6,310 dollars to donate to this remarkable organization.

Berry F. Laws, III attended the 16th Annual Distressed Investing Conference held in New York, NY, November 28 thru December 1, 2009

Berry F. Laws, III attended the 1st Annual Housing Wire Conference in Austin, TX, November 16-17, 2009

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

Berry F. Laws, III attended the National Property Preservation Conference in Washington, D.C., November 4-6, 2009

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Steve Leigh has accepted an invitation to be a member of the President’s Advisory Council for William Jewell College.

We are pleased to announce that Ingram's Magazine has listed Martin, Leigh, Laws & Fritzlen and MoKan Title Services as both in the Top 100 fasted growing companies in the KC Metropolitan area. MoKan Title Company comes in at #43 and Martin, Leigh, Laws and Fritzlen comes in at #76.

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

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.