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, IDEA Law Group PLLC
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
Members
Deb Sullivan | Vice President, Client Relations | ServiceLink
Tony Van Ness | Founder, Managing Partner | Van Ness Law Firm
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 | McPhail Sanchez, LLC
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