Thank You

The Thanksgiving Holiday brings about the annual reminder to take a moment to reflect and to say thank you. So, be sure to thank those around you!

First, thank you to the MULS community because without all of you I would not be where I am today. To my professors, thank you for challenging me even though there are days when I would prefer you did not! You all have instilled in me a deep appreciation for the law and for Marquette. Sometimes it goes unsaid but thank you for all that you do.

Second, thank you to my classmates. Although some I do not know, I will leave law school in a short while having made friends that I consider family. So, whether we were friends in class, competitors in moot court, or friends for life, thank you!

Third, thank you to the Milwaukee community. You all have provided endless opportunities in legal work, volunteer work, and fun! Thank you to all of the firms, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and others who employ MU law students. The experiences are priceless. I am happy to call Milwaukee home for many years to come!

Last, but definitely not least, thank you to my family. Without your patience, your support, and your love I would not be where I am today.

Thank you and Happy Holidays to everyone!

Continue ReadingThank You

“A Good Start” on Building Joe Zilber’s Neighborhood Improvement Legacy

“I think Joe’s looking down, saying, ‘Well, it’s a good start.’”

That’s how Susan Lloyd, the executive director of the Zilber Family Foundation, described the progress being made in carrying out a $50 million commitment to revitalizing specific Milwaukee neighborhoods made by the late philanthropist, Joseph Zilber.

At an “On the Issues with Mike Gousha” session at Marquette Law School on Thursday, Lloyd described the work of the Zilber Neighborhood Initiative, launched in 2008. The initiative is focused on two neighborhoods, Lindsay Heights on the north side and the Clarke Square on the south side.

Zilber, a real estate developer who died in March 2010, saw opportunity everywhere he went, Lloyd said, and was eager to see new vitality in places such as Lindsay Heights, where his childhood home was.

But achieving that, especially in trying economic times, is not a short-term matter.

Continue Reading“A Good Start” on Building Joe Zilber’s Neighborhood Improvement Legacy

Foreclosure Mediation Take 2?

I am grateful to Paul Kirgis (in this post) for restarting the discussion on foreclosure mediation—it is useful to keep revisiting what is working and what is not.

The New York Times article he cites is interesting in a number of ways. First, as Paul notes, it confuses the process of mediation with the underlying applicable law. Mediation—voluntary as in our program or mandatory as in Nevada—occurs in the shadow of HAMP and other regulations and financial realities governing the ability of the parties to make loan modifications.

Second, the article highlights some of the issues with mandatory mediation where, it appears, there are a whole bunch of lenders showing up with little interest, or even ability, to modify the mortgages.  

Continue ReadingForeclosure Mediation Take 2?