Ablitt|Scofield

ABOUT US

Steven A. Ablitt, Esq. - Mr. Ablitt earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. He was awarded his Juris Doctor by New England School of Law.As chair of the firm’s creditors rights group, he is legal counsel to national lending institutions, regional banks, and numerous Fortune 500 companies. He chairs the American Foreclosure Network’s Corporate Committee. Mr. Ablitt continues to serve as the firm’s lead bankruptcy and foreclosure attorney, handles regulatory and compliance matters for his clients, and represents his clients before the appellate courts. Mr.Ablitt is a member of the Massachusetts Bar, and is licensed to practice before the federal courts located in the Commonwealth. Mr. Ablitt is a member of the American Bar Association, Massachusetts Bar Association,the Association of Trial Attorneys of America, and the American Bankruptcy Institute. His practice focuses on bankruptcy law and litigation, debtor/creditor law, federal and state fair trade regulations, and real property law before the federal and state courts.

James L. Rogal, Esq. - Mr. Rogal earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Saint Lawrence University in 1978. He is graduate of New England School of Law receiving a Juris Doctor in 1983.Mr. Rogal has concentrated his practice in all aspects of real estate including litigation, conveyancing, land use, foreclosure, landlord/tenant and bankruptcy. He has extensive trial and appellate experience. Mr. Rogal has been involved in community affairs having served on the Topsfield Zoning Board of Appeals and was past Chairman of the Topsfield Board of Selectmen. He is currently the managing attorney of the firm.

Lawrence F. Scofield, Esq. – Mr. Scofield joined the firm in June, 2008 after a long and distinguished career in the title insurance industry with several national underwriters. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Boston College as well as a Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School. He is a member of the Bar of Massachusetts and the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Scofield is a member of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, the Abstract Club,the Real Estate Bar Association of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Bar Association. Mr. Scofield has served the American Land Title Association for many years as a member of the Forms Committee (11 years),the Special Tidelands Committee (9 years), the Judiciary Committee (4 years) and the Indian Land Claims Committee (30 years). Mr. Scofield has been a frequent writer and speaker on numerous real estate and title insurance topics. He has lectured on behalf of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, the American Land Title Association, the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education Association, the Massachusetts Mortgage Banker's Association, the New Hampshire Bar Association, the New England Land Title Association, the Ohio State Bar Association and the National Association of Industrial and Office Parks. Mr. Scofield has many years of experience in commercial and residential real estate transactions, complex condominium issues, zoning issues, title insurance underwriting and claims.

Walter H. Porr, Jr., Esq. – Mr. Porr received his undergraduate degree in history from the United States Naval Academy,Annapolis, Maryland in 1980. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps and was on active duty for five years,serving primarily as an Adjutant and Legal Officer. Mr. Porr left active duty and earned Juris Doctor from the George Mason University School of Law in Arlington, Virginia in 1988. Mr. Porr was admitted to the State Bar of California and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California in 1988. Since then, Attorney Mr. Porr has been admitted to the Bar of the United States Supreme Court, the First and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeal, the Central District of California and in 2004, to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the District Court of Massachusetts. Mr. Porr has been a trial and appellate attorney for the majority of his career, most significantly in municipal government settings. Mr. Porr served as an Assistant Deputy City Attorney for the City of Bakersfield, California, for 12 years; as an Assistant City Solicitor for the City of Revere, Massachusetts, for nearly 2 years; and,as an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Boston assigned to its Inspectional Services Department for 1 year. Mr. Porr and his wife,Susan, reside in Boston. They have seven children.

Jeana Kim Reinbold, Esq. – Ms. Reinbold is a senior attorney in the bankruptcy department of Ablitt|Scofield. Prior to joining the firm in September, 2008, Ms. Reinbold specialized her practice in all aspects of chapter 7, 11 and 13 bankruptcy cases,including the representation of business and consumer debtors, creditors,trustees and other parties in the bankruptcy process. She also previously served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable William C. Hillman of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts. Her current practice focuses on the representation of national and regional institutional lenders in bankruptcy cases, loan workouts and modifications, real estate matters and related litigation. Ms. Reinbold earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Chicago in 1995, a Master of Science in finance from the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Stuart School of Business in 1999 and her Juris Doctor from the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2000. She is admitted to practice in Illinois (2000), Massachusetts (2006), New Hampshire (2008), the United States District Courts for the District of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and the Northern District of Illinois, and the United States Courts of Appeals for the First and Seventh Circuits. She is a member of the Boston, New Hampshire and American Bar Associations, and the American Bankruptcy Institute, and is active on the pro bono panel for volunteer attorneys with the Boston Bar Association.

Jessica Rodger Yim, Esq. – Ms. Rodger Yim earned a Bachelor of Arts cum laude from Tufts University in 1997 and a Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School in 2001. She has represented lenders in foreclosures since 2003 and has also represented lenders in bankruptcy and eviction matters. Ms. Rodger Yim is admitted to practice in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island and all corresponding federal districts.

Steven G. Manchini, Esq. – Mr. Manchini earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Providence College in 1993, graduating magna cum laude, and he earned his Juris Doctor degree from Suffolk University Law School in 1996, graduating cum laude. Mr. Manchini was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1996. Prior to joining Ablitt|Scofield, Mr. Manchini specialized his practice in areas of civil litigation, residential conveyancing and collections law, and also gained valuable experience as a title examiner. Since joining Ablitt|Scofield,Mr. Manchini has devoted his practice primarily to real estate matters,including real estate owned transactions, residential real estate closings, and foreclosures.

Matthew R. Braucher, Esq. – Mr. Braucher is an associate at Ablitt Law Offices, P.C. He was born in Concord, MA in 1977 and grew up in the Boston area. Mr. Braucher completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with a BBA, cum laude and received his Juris Doctor degree from the New England School of Law in 2006. He is currently admitted to practice before the Massachusetts State Bar and the Federal District Court for Massachusetts. Before joining Ablitt|Scofield, Mr. Braucher worked in general civil practice and residential real estate law. Mr. Braucher is a member of the American Bar Association and the Massachusetts Bar Association.

Thomas C. Tretter, Esq. – Mr. Tretter attended middle school and high school at the Roxbury Latin School in Boston,Massachusetts, and received his diploma in 1983. He received his Bachelor of Arts in history from the College of the Holy Cross in 1987 and his Juris Doctor from the New England School of Law in 1990. Mr. Tretter is admitted to practice before the state and federal courts of Massachusetts and New Hampshire and is also admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. From 1990 to 1996, he was employed as an Assistant Corporation Counsel with the City of Boston Law Department where he was a member of the Torts and Civil Rights Bureaus.As an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Boston, Mr. Tretter tried cases before the state and federal courts and argued appeals before the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Prior to joining the Ablitt|Scofield in March, 2008, Mr. Tretter was engaged in the general practice of law for over eleven years appearing before the trial courts and administrative agencies of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Mr. Tretter has broad professional experience in diverse areas of the law including bankruptcy, motor vehicle negligence, workers’compensation, premises liability, labor and employment, domestic relations, real estate disputes, district court criminal cases and collections. Since August, 1999, Mr. Tretter has been a member of the Board of Arbitrators for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority which administers alternative dispute resolution services for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and the New York Stock Exchange.

Amanda Califano, Esq. – Ms. Califano earned her undergraduate degree in Communication from Boston University in 2001. She worked in advertising at a non-profit organization for two years before earning her Juris Doctor degree from Northeastern University in 2006. She is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts and New York. Prior to joining Ablitt|Scofield, Ms. Califano focused her practice in the areas of commercial and residential real estate conveyancing, zoning and permitting, affordable housing, and civil litigation. She also has experience in environmental law and the burgeoning realm of green law. Ms. Califano is a member of the Real Estate Bar Association, the Massachusetts Bar Association, the New York Bar Association, and the American Bar Association.

Effie L. Gikas, Esq. - Ms. Gikas earned her B.A.in 1999 from Brandeis University summa cum laude in three concentrations-Philosophy; Ancient Greek Language & Literature; and Classical Archaeology & Ancient History, with a minor in the Legal Studies Program. She was awarded her Juris Doctor by the Boston University School of Law in 2002, with a concentration in Litigation & Dispute Resolution. She was an intern at the United States Attorney’s Office, the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, and Hale & Dorr. In 2004, she became a litigation attorney at Rubin and Rudman LLP where she practiced complex litigation for five years, specializing in family law- divorce, child custody, contempt actions, and multi-million dollar asset division. She is currently focusing on debtor/creditor law, real property law,foreclosure and post-foreclosure eviction litigation. She is licensed to practice in Massachusetts and the Federal District Court of Massachusetts, and is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association.

Elyssa Levy, Esq. – Ms. Levy graduated from Rollins College in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts in International Business. She was awarded her Juris Doctor from Loyola University New Orleans School of Law in 2005, with a concentration in International Law earning her an International Legal Studies Certificate. She is admitted to practice law in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, and the United States District Courts of New Hampshire and Massachusetts. She is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association and the New Hampshire Bar Association. She is currently in the litigation department at the firm focusing her practice on real property law, landlord tenant law, foreclosures, and civil litigation. Prior to joining Ablitt|Scofield, Ms. Levy was a solo practitioner representing clients on various legal matters, including family law, domestic disputes, criminal offenses and general civil litigation.

Rachelle D. Willard, Esq. – Ms. Willard earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Vermont in 1999. She was awarded her Juris Doctor from Suffolk University School of Law in 2003 and was subsequently was admitted to practice before the Massachusetts State Bar. Ms. Willard has represented lenders in foreclosures and post- foreclosure evictions since 2004. She is currently a member of the firm’s Litigation Department.

Megan O’Keefe Manzo, Esq. – Ms. Manzo graduated from Phillips Academy, Andover in 1994 and subsequently earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Brown University in 1998. She received her Juris Doctor degree from Boston College Law School in 2001. Prior to joining Ablitt|Scofield, she represented lenders in foreclosure, eviction and bankruptcy matters. Ms. Manzo is licensed to practice in Massachusetts and the Federal District Court of Massachusetts.

John Gunasti, Esq. – John Gunasti earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston University in 2000, his Master of Business Administration in 2002 from Bryant University, graduating with honors, and his Juris Doctor from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2007, also graduating with honors. Mr. Gunasti is admitted to the Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island bars as well as the United States Federal District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Prior to joining Ablitt|Scofield, Mr.Gunasti was an intern for the Honorable Ronald R. Lagueux of the United States Federal District Court for the District of Rhode Island and a real estate attorney at Burns & Levinson LLP, handling various residential and commercial real estate matters. Mr. Gunasti is currently focusing his practice on real estate and bankruptcy matters.

Lorelei S. Fiala, Esq. – Lorelei S. Fiala is the managing attorney of the Florida office. Prior to joining the firm in 2010, she worked for two of the largest creditor's rights firms in the State of Florida. She has specialized her practice in representing lending institutions in foreclosure actions. Ms. Fiala has spent her legal career litigating in civil and criminal court. She has previously worked for the Office of the Attorney General, where she prosecuted parents for the abuse, abandonment and neglect of their children. She has also served as the managing partner of the Law Office of Fiala & Fiala,LLC., where she specialized in criminal defense and family law matters. Ms. Fiala began her legal career at the Broward County Public Defender's Office, where she aggressively represented indigent individuals charged with misdemeanor and felony crimes. Ms. Fiala has taken over forty cases to jury trial and has extensive experience in taking and defending depositions, participating in discovery, arguing motions, and attending mediations. Ms. Fiala received a Bachelors of Science degree from Nova Southeastern University in 2000 and a Juris Doctor degree from St. Thomas University School of Law in 2003. She was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2003 and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida in 2010. She is currently a member of the American Bar Association, the Broward County Bar Association and the Palm Beach County Bar Association. She also does pro bono work for Habitat for Humanity.