Leadership

Legal League 100 Advisory Council

The Advisory Council strategizes growth opportunities, facilitates education, and enhances strategic relationships in the industry on behalf of the Legal League. Advisory Council Members are responsible for aiding the Chair, Vice Chair, Executive Director, and Ex-Officio of the Legal League 100 in developing new strategies for progress in the areas of legislative actions, education, compliance, advocacy, and/or marketing.

Stephen Hladik
Hladik, Onorato & Federman, LLP
Legal League 100 Chair

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Stephen M. Hladik brings a broad range of experience to his foreclosure, bankruptcy, and UDAAP practice at Hladik Onorato & Federman LLP (HOF). Hladik obtained his law degree from Widener University with honors, where he served as Internal Managing Editor of the Law Review. He gained significant expertise in lending law enforcement, handling UDAP, FDCPA, RESPA, and TILA cases in his role as Deputy Attorney General in charge of the Harrisburg office of the Bureau of Consumer Protection.

J. Anthony Van Ness
Founder, Managing Partner, Van Ness Law Firm
Legal League 100 Vice Chair

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Van Ness Law Firm is a Florida default and litigation law firm with locations in Deerfield Beach and Miami. They represent national mortgage lenders and servicers since 2004 making it one of the older default firms serving Florida and likely the only certified, African-American one. The firm has won several performance awards over the years and takes pride in becoming Fannie Mae retained counsel in 2010 (until the program ended). Van Ness serves on multiple boards for trade, associations, and charity.

Advisory Council Members

Jane Bond, McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC
Ryan Bourgeois, BDF Law Group
Caren Castle, The Wolf Firm, A Law Corporation
Daniel Chilton, Robertson, Anschutz and Schneid, PL

Ed Delgado, Ex Officio, Five Star Global
Chad Neel, McCarthy & Holthus LLP
Neil Sherman, Schneiderman & Sherman, P.C.
Tony Van Ness, Van Ness Law Firm, PLC

Events

This committee is responsible for collaborating with the committee chair and The Five Star staff to propose event offerings and session topics, as well as help with speaker recruitment.

Chair
Ryan Bourgeois | General Counsel/Compliance Officer – Partner | BDF Law Group

Special Initiatives Working Group

In order to respond to a shift in the industry which requires law firms to operate at a more efficient level, the Legal League 100 has created the Special Initiative Working Group (SIWG). The SIWG is comprised of senior representation from member firms and executive level associate members with a focus on the strategic objectives of concern to financial services legal professionals as directed by the Legal League 100 Advisory Council, Executive Director.

Chair

Brooke Sanchez | Managing Bankruptcy Attorney | Kent McPhail & Associates

Secretary

Jennifer Rogers | Managing Attorney | IDEA Law Group

Members

Ryan Bourgeois | General Counsel/Compliance Officer – Partner | BDF Law Group

David Demers | Managing Partner | Cooke Demers LLC

David Friedman | Partner | Van Ness Law Firm

Michelle Garcia Gilbert | Managing Partner | Gilbert Garcia Group P.A.

Tony Van Ness | Founder, Managing Partner | Van Ness Law Firm

Webinar Committee

This committee provides current, relevant information to the mortgage servicing industry to promote understanding and learning in an interesting format.

Chair

Jane Bond | Managing Partner | McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC

Members

Hilary Bonial | Managing Director | Bonial PC  

Chris DeNardo | Managing Partner | LOGS Legal Group, LLP

Stephen M. Hladik, Esq. | Partner | Hladik, Onorato & Federman, LLP

Magaret Tarab | Managing Attorney | Pincus Law

PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE

Members of this committee support the Five Star staff in curating content for The Legal League Quarterly Newsletter and other publications.

Currently Seeking Members