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69 Follow Us At: @DSNewsDaily Jane E. Bond Managing Partner // Florida Litigation McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLP Jane Bond has 30 years' litigation experience, 24 years of which has been devoted to business and real estate within the mortgage lending and servicing industries. She represents clients in appellate proceedings before the Florida District Courts of Appeal and the Florida Supreme Court. She has handled countless cases, from residential and commercial foreclosures, title issues, foreclosure-related insurance claims, condemnation and eminent domain to one of the most prominent cases in our industry: the Statutes of Limitations, US Bank v. Bartram. "is industry provides many opportunities to keep learning and growing as a professional and to help others learn and grow," she said. To that end, Bond is active in myriad organizations including USFN, ALFN, LL100, and the FL Bar (serving on the Real Property Finance and Lending Committee). Many women are in the field now, and Bond enjoys being part of a diverse management team. Earlier in her career, however, she was the only female attorney at two different firms, and she frequently was the only female litigator in a courtroom. Her mother and her father, a Dale Carnegie coach, brought her up with a positive attitude and drive to succeed, she says. "e key is to be yourself and enjoy the practice of law," Bond says. "Always stay strong, well informed, and friendly; I enjoy meeting people, working with attorneys from other firms and working alongside our clients." HILARY BONIAL Bonial & Associates, P.C., Managing Director Bonial & Associates, is both a Certified LGBT Business Enterprise (LGBTBE) by e National LGBT Chamber of Commerce and a Certified Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). e WBE certification affirms the business is woman-owned, operated, and controlled. Hilary Bonial told DS News that "seeing my teams succeed is the most enriching part of my job." Bonial added, "Watching the legal strategies assist clients in making good business decisions is quite rewarding." Bonial noted she is most proud of the positive results she has obtained in court for her clients. "Any time I can stand before a judge and represent my client, I am proud of the unique set of skills I have developed over the years and of my ability to put them to good use." Bonial has been Managing Director of Bonial & Associates, P.C., for over two years, and served previously as a Shareholder/ Attorney at Buckley Madole, as well as serving as General Counsel for National Bankruptcy Services, LLC, for over eight years. Despite some improvements over the years, Bonial said the number of female executives within the industry is still comparatively small, and she is often the only female leader in the room when a decision is made. "e perception of women leaders being overly emotional remains," she added. Looking ahead to 2020, she said, while it may be "pie in the sky theory," she would like to see the adoption of meaningful diversity programs in the default legal space. NUMBER OF YEARS PRACTICING LAW: 24 Hilary Bonial Managing Director // Bonial & Associates, P.C. Bonial & Associates, is both a Certified LGBT Business Enterprise (LGBTBE) by e National LGBT Chamber of Commerce and a Certified Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). e WBE certification affirms the business is woman-owned, operated, and controlled. Hilary Bonial told DS News that "seeing my teams succeed is the most enriching part of my job." Bonial added, "Watching the legal strategies assist clients in making good business decisions is quite rewarding." Bonial noted that she is most proud of the positive results she has obtained in court for her clients. "Any time I can stand before a judge and represent my client, I am proud of the unique set of skills I have developed over the years and of my ability to put them to good use." Bonial has been Managing Director of Bonial & Associates, P.C., for over two years and served previously as a Shareholder/Attorney at Buckley Madole, as well as serving as General Counsel for National Bankruptcy Services, LLC, for over eight years. Despite some improvements over the years, Bonial said the number of female executives within the industry is still comparatively small, and she is often the only female leader in the room when a decision is made. "e perception of women leaders being overly emotional remains," she added. Looking ahead to 2021, she said, while it may be "pie in the sky theory," she would like to see the adoption of meaningful diversity programs in the default legal space. ReNee D. Brooks Group VP // Legal Risk, Truist In her relatively short career in mortgage banking, ReNee D. Brooks has accomplished more than most attorneys with her length of service. After transitioning from traditional legal practice to corporate operations while at SunTrust Mortgage, she created not one, not two, but three new departments to support the default servicing group, including Default Litigation, Mediations, and Title. Default Litigation manages non- standard foreclosures and outside counsel as well as providing support to the in-house legal group and providing witnesses for all foreclosure-related litigation. e Mediations group manages all mortgage-related loan files, including bankruptcy and loss mitigation, while attending mediations, handling underwriting per investor guidelines, and managing outside counsel. e Title group manages title claims, reviews titles for the loss- mitigation department, and clears title issues for the foreclosure department. Together, these departments are staffed with subject matter experts and have promoted efficient loan management, greater accountability, and reduced risk. "is role allows me to provide solutions to legal and regulatory challenges that make sense from an operations perspective in partnership with legal, regulatory, compliance and operations experts," she said. Despite a lengthy body of work, Brooks said she's repeatedly been mistaken as a paralegal or secretary. "On occasion, women may be expected to prove they are strong enough to compete with, and/or manage men in the workplace," she said. "In addition, responses provided by women during stressful interactions are more likely to be discounted as emotion driven than comparable responses provided by male counterparts."