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74 Top 25 Women of Law Susan Reid General Counsel // McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC Susan Reid has more than 25 years' experience in real estate and mortgage banking. Prior to her current post, Reid spent 15 years as associate General Counsel for Fannie Mae, where she focused on origination and default-related issues. e depth of Reid's experience makes her the perfect choice to lead McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC's clients through the current regulatory environment. Working in New York's commercial real estate sector prepared Reid for the world of audits and compliance. "In my early years, I had a lot of New York closings, which at that time went on for hours and days with many participants getting angry and becoming exhausted," she recalled. "ese closings were a great learning ground for me to develop skills of listening intently and calmly to discover the solution amid chaos." Reid says the COVID-19 crisis has taxed her inherent optimism. "I believe that after the pandemic we will have fewer servicers, law firms, and people in the mortgage industry." She continued, "I hope that mortgage banking will always have a focus on low- and middle-income homebuyers. is is one group that is often heavily hit by an economic downturn. I believe that owning a home is still important to many people and the best way for a family to build wealth." Reid says that she is excited to see how many women are involved in today's mortgage industry. "I draw inspiration from all of them," she said. "I believe women bring a different negotiation style to a problem than men and we can often reach an amicable solution quicker." Candace Russell VP - Post Sale // Carrington Mortgage Services After 18 years in the industry, Candace Russell feels the world of policymaking is where she and her colleagues can make an impact on the entire system or process. "We all hope that the impact we make by working on all the small details of a rule, policy, or a bill move the needle forward for the better," she says. "Knowing that pouring yourself into even the small matters eventually can affect major change and benefit the industry and the consumers is immensely satisfying." For two years, Russell has served as the Loan Administration Committee Vice Chair and Chair for the MBA. She also has started a women and minority leadership group to help encourage participation in the industry. Being a woman, or a member of any minority group comes with challenges, she says, although she awaits a day in which gender and race will be a nonissue in the workplace. "It is an often- overlooked privilege to work for yourself and your own goals without intended or unintended consequences to an entire people group," she explained. As for the industry's near future, she bases predictions on evidence, data, and experience, she says. "I think we will see people in power positions focus on how to keep people in their homes for as long as possible and how to open up the home market to those being shut out. ere is no one answer or one branch that can fix these issues they will be multi-prong approaches with red tape, a lot of debating, and a lot of passion." Ruth Ruhl President // RUTH RUHL, P.C. With 28 years' experience practicing law, Ruth Ruhl says the most enriching part of her career is the long-term relationships she has with her clients and knowing how hard they work to help homeowners keep their homes with the assistance of RUTH RUHL, P.C. "I am most proud of having the courage to form my own law firm 21 years ago and growing my client base to a national level based on a quality product combined with superb customer service," Ruhl said. "It is very rewarding to know that I have made a significant contribution to the legal industry both through my firm and my association with the Texas Mortgage Bankers Association's Board of Directors." Ruhl's decision to pursue a legal career stems from the ambition she has possessed from an early age. "I knew that I wanted a career that would allow me to grow professionally and make a positive impact on people's lives," Ruhl said. "I enjoy the constant, evolving profession that requires knowledge of current regulations and the complexities and intricacies of how they relate to one another." Today, Ruhl is constantly looking for new ways to improve her firm's processes so it can be as efficient as possible in delivering services to its client base. She is an advocate of working smarter, not harder, a philosophy that has proven vital this year and will continue to be useful in 2021. When thinking about what challenges may lie ahead next year, Ruhl says, "As always, listening to my clients' challenges helps me best respond with the appropriate technology and controls required in this fast-moving industry."