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28 Steven C. Lindberg practices in the areas of creditor's rights, foreclosure, and creditor bankruptcy law. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois and the John Marshall Law School. Lindberg serves as the Managing Partner for Anselmo Lindberg & Associates. Lindberg is licensed in both Illinois and Florida. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Florida Bar Association, DuPage County Bar Association, the USFN, and the ALFN. What advice do you have for firms trying to manage costs in today's foreclosure climate? e natural inclination is to reduce support staff since that represents the largest expense that a law firm has. e problem is that when a firm reduces staffing, the metrics begin to suffer, and when this happens, the scorecards reflect this. is requires firms to up their game on technology so that the key metrics established by the clients are met. e idea is that your case management system and other technology integrations can provide the support that some of your staff previously provided, allowing the firm to jettison some staff. Technology and client requirements are always changing, and it does take time to initiate the necessary changes to put the firm in a position where staff can be decreased. is means that the firms will be expending additional sums of money during a period where reducing costs is crucial. As firms try to whittle down staff, it becomes ever more important to make sure that staff is cross-trained. It is necessary to ensure that the product knowledge is spread throughout the organization, and this training takes time—time that could be given to file-level matters but time that is necessary to ensure the firm can continue to provide the service that the clients expect. is competes with the economic issues facing the firms. Firms should have a financial plan on how to manage income and expenses. e cyclical nature of the business is something that all firms have to accommodate. Where should firms focus their efforts to remain competitive? Expanding your business in a downturned market may take the form of seeking out additional default clients that you do not already have. is is somewhat problematic since all default firms are taking this same action. Servicers are going to be slow to onboard any new law firms when volume is low and the current firms are performing. To truly expand, it may mean practicing in a different area other than default. A firm that is already handling default litigation has experience with discovery and pre-trial matters--so why not expand to handle commercial matters such as mechanics' lien cases, construction matters, and regular contract cases? Another example is commercial real estate transactions. Default firms already handle matters involving title and REOs, so moving into handling commercial sales and purchases along with leasing makes sense. e challenge is that it will require time to set up systems and train staff. How can financial services law firms best work with servicers to help them overcome the challenges they are facing this year? Rules that the CFPB put into effect in April are a challenge for both servicers and law firms. e issues surrounding periodic statements in bankruptcy are thorny, particularly during a Chapter 13 plan. e successors in interest rule will require not only the servicers but also the law firms to have policies and procedures in place to identify who is a successor in interest and then have processes set out to communicate with that "Technology and client requirements are always changing, and it does take time to initiate the necessary changes to put the firm in a position where staff can be decreased. This means that the firms will be expending additional sums of money during a period where reducing costs is crucial." COUNSEL'S CORNER LEARNING LESSONS FROM DIVERSE COURT CASES STEVEN C. LINDBERG Managing Partner, Anselmo Lindberg & Associates, LLC

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