Foreclosure Lawyers Could have Been Woefully Inexperienced
Nearly half of the lawyers working in Florida’s largest “foreclosure firms” have been practicing law for less than three years, making the entire foreclosure process – already highly suspect thanks to the robo-signing fiasco back in October – even more susceptible to lawsuits and counter-claims from borrowers who do not believe that their foreclosures were justified[1]. According to Florida bar records gathered by the Palm Beach Post, not only are a large portion of these lawyers lacking in experience, but they have also been laid off since the foreclosure debacle began and many are facing Florida Bar investigations that “could end their careers.”
In the probe initiated by all 50 attorneys general in the country, testimony has come to light indicating that former employees of foreclosure firm David J. Stern believed that the firm itself was involved in deception at many levels, including “hiding problem files from federal auditors, forging signatures and making up documents when necessary.” However, St. Petersburg foreclosure defense attorney Matt Weidner believes that many of the younger lawyers may have been unaware they may have been committing an offense when they were following their employer’s lead. “I know the younger attorneys had no idea what they were doing,” he said.
Even if this is the case, do you think that less than three years’ experience is an adequate excuse for “not knowing” that forgery and fraud are wrong?
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[1] http://www.palmbeachpost.com/money/real-estate/novice-florida-lawyers-draw-suspicion-in-foreclosure-mess-1146402.html