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70 better and making sure that impact lasts." Ernie Codilis knows a lot of lawyers in his industry work in environments seen as negative, with little apparent enjoyment. "We are optimists," he said. "We are positive in outlook. at's how we tackle challenges, too. It's a cooperative, can-do spirit." Mike Sullivan is the Director of Marketing and Client Relations. He believes one of the foundations of the firm is Ernie Codilis's naturally inclusive nature. "To this day," Sullivan said, "he engages his A-team, if you will, upon every learning opportunity via proactive versus reactive management methods. at, in turn, has provided everyone the chance to enhance their own success." ONE-STOP SHOP In addition to foreclosure work, Codilis's practice encompasses the full spectrum of other loss mitigation services, along with bankruptcy, REO, title, litigation, and building/housing court services. For the 100-plus regional and national clients handled by Codilis offices in Illinois, Texas, Indiana, Missouri, and Wisconsin, it's a start-to-finish firm. "We assist clients in navigation, execution, compliance, and appropriate outcomes," Codilis said. e firm also focuses on preparing clients for the inevitable detours, large and small. "When the mortgage crisis impacted law firms in our line of work," Moody said, "the media painted a negative picture of the mortgage industry and wrongfully created the belief that they were in the business of exploiting their customers." e criticism of the banking, mortgage servicing, and ancillary fields was vociferous. And there were some bad actors out there. New rules and additional audits were pervasive, happening in the hallways of law firms week after week. Furthermore, clients were also required to come in and do their own reviews of the work their firms performed. B.J. Maley said, "I have personally been involved in hundreds of audits on-site. It's taxing, but it's the norm now." After the smoke cleared from the crisis, the firm even asked for its own audit by another law firm. Moody attributes the continued success of the firm to the policies and procedures they already had in place before the crisis. He said that "at Codilis, we stayed strong because the audits showed we had been doing business the way it is supposed to be done. We had checks, balances, and policies in place that protected clients and their customers." Clients got to see the firm in action on its home turf. "I really disliked being painted with the same brush as those who took advantage of people," Ernie Codilis said. "And I was so happy we were viewed as a firm that was on sound, responsible footing. I always knew we were." ON THE CUTTING EDGE In its approach, the firm has also always been on the forefront of technology. Codilis was considerably ahead of many competitors when it developed its own sophisticated proprietary case management system. e legal field, Codilis said, is somewhat notorious for often being five or more years behind in adopting available new technology. "I have always been open to technology," Codilis said. "It is a strong selling point. We try Ernie Codilis with his son, Adam Codilis

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