DS News

102 TOP 25 WOMEN OF LAW MARY ANN HESS Managing Member, Folks Hess Kass, PLLC Foreclosure, Collection, Mortgage Deficiency, and Default Services Litigation Mary Ann Hess, Managing Member of Folks Hess Kass, PLLC, was first exposed to working in the legal realm when she worked for the Mar- icopa County, Arizona Superior Court as a Case Transfer Coordinator and subsequently as a legal secretary at the largest law firm in Arizona. It was these years spent honing her skills, as well as her natural disposition as a detail-oriented individual that made her excited to take the next step and practice law herself. Hess helps her team meet the challenges of the legal landscape through diligent training. "I have worked closely with our firm's attorneys over the years to make certain that they participate in as many seminars relevant to our legal practice as possible. In addition, we conduct ongoing and aggressive in-firm training with our attorneys and staff to remain current not only on the law related to our practice but of the complex compliance and reporting requirements of our firm's clients related to topics, including protect - ing confidential client information, reporting consumer complaints, and other client compliance requirements," said Hess. Hess prides herself on having been able to help many litigants over the years on a pro bono basis as a court-appointed settlement judge to resolve their disputes on a mutually beneficial basis and often under very difficult circumstances when they could not afford costly litigation. NUMBER OF YEARS PRACTICING LAW: 23 LAURA JOHNSON Senior Counsel, Office of Regulations, Consumer Finance Protection Bureau Laura Johnson is Senior Counsel in the Office of Regulations at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), where she focuses on mortgage servicing. She has been with the CFPB for more than four years and came to the bureau from U.S. Bancorp, where she handled consumer-oriented regulatory compliance issues. Prior to that, she was a Staff Attorney and later Chief of Staff in the Division of Financial Practices at the Federal Trade Commission. She also practiced law with the firm of K&L Gates in Washington, D.C., where she focused on financial services regulatory counseling. Johnson is a graduate of Centre College and Washington College of Law. Johnson is skilled in legal research and writing and helped craft amendments to the Mortgage Servicing rules and TILA-RESPA while at the bureau. She is also a frequent speaker at events, including the Five Star Conference and Expo. At the 2017 conference, Johnson helped educate attendees on specific requirements of CFPB rules, how servicers and vendors can be prepared to be compliant with the rules, and addressed what qualifies as satisfactory compliance among servicers. Johnson, well respected by her peers, will continue to be a leader in the practice of law in the years to come. FINANCIAL SERVICES, REGULATORY COMPLIANCE, MORTGAGE SERVICING NUMBER OF YEARS PRACTICING LAW: 16 LOUISE M. JOHNSON Senior Counsel/Supervising Bankruptcy Attorney, Scott and Corley, P.A. "Practicing law provides me with a men- tally challenging and stimulating professional work environment with wonderful colleagues, clients, and courts without which I could not have raised my two lovely daughters as a single mother," Louise ("Ceasie") Johnson told DS News. Johnson's decision to study law was led in part by being the daughter of an English teacher and a lawyer-turned judge for 30 years. Another influence that helped her prepare for her later career was obtaining an undergraduate degree in piano performance, which taught her discipline, practice skills, attention to detail, and a love of people and performing. "„ese disciplines honed my capabilities that I use daily in my practice of law, specifically in my preparation in the office, my interaction with clients, and my represen - tation of clients in court," said Johnson. In the year ahead, Johnson sees the advancement and prevalence of technology as something for which mortgage professionals and lawyers will need to be prepared. "It is important to stay abreast with the technological changes and improvements in order to fully compete in the ever-changing mar - ketplace," Johnson noted. She looks forward to helping her clients navigate these changes in 2018 and beyond, as well as continuing to be an active industry leader. Among her greatest accomplish- ments, Johnson cites the honor of having served as President of the South Carolina Bankruptcy Law Association. CREDITORS' RIGHTS LITIGATION AND BANKRUPTCY NUMBER OF YEARS PRACTICING LAW: 19

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