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72 Top 25 Women of Law HALLIE GREENE Warren Greene Management and Consulting, LLC, Principal Hallie Greene enjoys using her 20+ years of industry experience to help WGMAC clients achieve their goals. She is grateful to be an owner of her company as it allows her the flexibility to spend important time with her family. "I am the mom of a child with special needs and a guardian of my brother who has autism. I have a passion for helping people and currently serve as President of the Board of Directors for Citizens Options Unlimited in New York," she said. Greene added that like many women, finding a balance between work, children, and family can be challenging. However, she tries to stay present wherever she is. "I give 100% to my work and if I am home with my family, I give 100% to them. It is not always easy to maintain a 100% presence in my current environment, but I try my best to stay conscience of this goal each day," she said. Starting her company has been the highlight of her career, she told DS News, noting she and Jennifer Warren worked together for two decades before starting Warren Greene Management and Consulting, LLC (Warren-Greene.com). "We share the same work ethic, enthusiasm for the industry and love of tackling challenges. Cofounding a Certified Women-Owned Small Business with one of my great friends has been an amazing experience and is the highlight of my career to date," she said. Challenges she foresees in 2020 are the increasing cost of doing business for mortgage servicers and law firms as a result of continued scrutiny, evolving needs, and inflation. "Mortgage professionals must find ways to handle their work efficiently and effectively without sacrificing quality," she said. NUMBER OF YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 20 Hallie Greene Principal // Warren Greene Management and Consulting, LLC Hallie Greene has managed a wide variety of areas within the industry over the last 20-plus years. She now enjoys using her extensive experience to help her clients achieve their operational goals. She and Jennifer Warren worked together for two decades before starting Warren Greene Management and Consulting, LLC, which she marks as the high- light of her career. "We share the same work ethic, enthusiasm for the industry, and love of tackling challenges. Cofounding our Certified Women Owned Small Business with one of my great friends has been an amazing experience and is the highlight of my career to date," she said. Greene is grateful to be an owner of her company as it allows her the flexibility to spend important time with her family. "I am the mom of a child with special needs and a guardian of my brother who has autism. Finding a balance between work, children, and family can be challenging—especially over the last year with quarantine and homeschooling thrown into the mix." However, she tries to stay present wherever she is. "I give 100% to my work, and when I am with my family, I give 100% to them. It is not always easy to maintain a 100% presence in my current environment, but I try my best to stay conscience of this goal each day." Challenges Greene foresees in 2021 include post-pandemic in- creases in default volume, regulation, and scrutiny. "Now more than ever, mortgage professionals and law-firms must find ways to handle their work ef- ficiently and effectively without sacrificing quality," she said. Warren Greene Management and Con- sulting, LLC offers customizable, cost-effective solutions for maximizing an organization's capacity, productivity and work-product accuracy. Robyn Katz Managing Partner // Florida Foreclosure, McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC A 21-year industry veteran, Robyn Katz has a proven track record of achieving operational excellence and exceeding clients' expectations. Her blend of legal experience, process development, business acumen, and technological aptitude has benefitted both her firm and its clients. "From a technology standpoint, we stand at a crossroads," Katz said. "ere are now e-notaries, e-notes, e-vaults, and fintech companies attempting to disrupt the industry. Artificial intelligence is being used in loan origination to enhance operational efficiencies. Adapting to this new technology in changing market conditions is crucial to maintain a competitive edge." Katz's unique ability to communicate, motivate, and lead employees has resulted in exceptional personnel retention rates and satisfaction among staff members. She frequently shares her expertise by speaking at workshops and default servicing conferences as well as contributing to industry-related publications. While she recognizes the opportunities in today's market, including historically low interest rates contributing to a thriving refinance environment and strong purchase market, she also sees uncertainty looming. "Foreclosures have ground to a near halt due to the impact of COVID-19," she said. "Firms that rely on foreclosures as a primary source of revenue must continue to evolve to succeed." As a woman who began her career in 1998, she has faced such challenges as work life balance and childcare issues. "I have been fortunate to have the support of other female lawyers, who have served as mentors throughout my career. I now make a conscious effort to serve as a mentor and promote advancement of women in the legal industry." Laura LaRaia Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel // First Guaranty Mortgage Corporation Laura LaRaia finds that the most enriching part of her job is collaborating with First Guaranty's risk, compliance, and legal teams as well as the business teams to "proactively and constantly" go above and beyond to help consumers. LaRaia has 23 years' experience practicing law and was interested in the field from an early age, as her father, brother, uncle, and grandfather were all attorneys. "I love advocating and fighting for the right outcome in all aspects of work and home life," LaRaia said. "It is one of my greatest passions." In her role, she works to provide the maximum coverage of all aspects of the legal arena for the company with the use of databases and other electronic tools to ensure that the legal department helps the mortgage company in its efforts to continue to streamline the business. One of her career highlights has been developing the ability to "successfully lead various teams who actively support our company in all areas of risk mitigation but continue to provide assistance with loan production and servicing." As 2021 draws near, LaRaia believes that many of the legal challenges the professionals in the mortgage industry will face will "center around the results of COVID-19 impact." For example, mortgage companies will have to make decisions about returning to the workplace determining what protocols will be put in place if they chose to do so. LaRaia added, "Due to the extended forbearance time frames, we will likely find ourselves working through the additional aspects of loans coming out of forbearance and the resulting modifications."