Thursday, Dec. 18, 2008
Attorneys Step Up to Assist Those Facing Foreclosure
On Wednesday, Dec. 10, the Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) in partnership with the Northern Virginia Pro Bono Law Center, Legal Services of Northern Virginia, and the Fairfax County Office of Public Private Partnerships hosted foreclosure training for more than 50 area attorneys who are willing to provide pro bono services. The training, Housing Crisis: Legal Training to Help Clients Facing Foreclosure, included presentations on:
- State Laws Related to Foreclosure
- Foreclosure Prevention Strategies
- Practical Solutions Based on Case Studies
- Federal and Common law Defenses to Foreclosures
- Abusive Mortgage Lending Practices
The training offered an opportunity for a unified response by the legal community to assist the most vulnerable members of society that are being faced with losing their homes. Fairfax County Redevelopment Housing Authority (FCRHA) Mason District Commissioner and attorney, Robert Schwaninger, provided opening remarks. Commissioner Schwaniger, who had requested that this training be offered, has been practicing before the Federal Communications Commission since 1982, and began his own firm Schwaniger & Associates in 1986. Since that time, he has represented hundreds of businesses, licensees, tower owners, and persons before the FCC, the U.S. Court of Appeals, and various federal agencies and offices.
