The Ticktin Law Group Adds Two Attorneys

The Ticktin Law Group is pleased to announce the hiring of two attorneys for our Deerfield Beach office, Jim Robertson and Heather Aquafresca.

Jim Robertson graduated cum laude in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts in U.S. history from Central Washington University. After graduation, Jim moved to Florida where he attended graduate school at the University of Florida earning his master's degree in U.S. diplomatic history. He then went on to attend law school at the University of Florida and was admitted to The Florida Bar in 2008.

During law school, Jim worked as a legal research assistant in the areas of Florida and Federal historic preservation law. The following summer, he accepted an internship with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's office of compliance at the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Before joining The Ticktin Law Group in 2009, Jim lived in Washington, D.C. and worked on high-volume document review and regulatory research projects. Jim works in our Deerfield Beach office and practices mortgage foreclosure defense as well as general civil litigation.

Heather Aquafresca was raised in Massachusetts, where she attended Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on a full academic scholarship. Heather graduated magna cum laude with her B.A. in psychology. While in college, she formed the pre-law society, served as a student senator as well as class president, and was a member of the Psi Chi, Phi Delta, and Alpha Lambda Delta honors fraternities. She attained her B.A. in three years with the distinction of All College Honors.

After completing her undergraduate degree, Heather attended Florida Coastal School of Law on an academic scholarship. During law school, she was a member of the Phi Delta Phi honors fraternity and the Center for Strategic Public Policy. She was also an active member in the Moot Court Honor Board. Heather graduated in the top 14% of her class and received scholastic awards for receiving the highest grades in her Family Law, Appellate Advocacy, Torts II, Criminal Procedure, and Professional Responsibility courses. While in law school, Heather also served as a Teacher's Assistant for Legal Writing, Research, and Negotiation.

Heather was admitted to The Massachusetts Bar and The Florida Bar in 2008. She has experience in personal injury law, real estate transactions, and criminal defense. Heather joined our Deerfield Beach office in September 2009 and her primary area of practice is mortgage foreclosure defense.

The Wave of Foreclosures Affects both Homeowners and Homeowners' Best Friend

Not only are families the victims of the Bank foreclosures, but the family pet also becomes one too. A recent news article in the New York Daily News highlights the effects that foreclosures have on pets of foreclosure victims. Without a home to go to, families are forced to make difficult decisions, and often cannot continue to afford the cost of pet care. Even when they can afford pet care, many landlords do not accept pets, so families and individuals are forced to give up their beloved pet.

According to the article, the ASPCA estimates that this has affected up to 1 million pets. Numerous charities and events, including those in Florida, have been set up to attempt to have these pets adopted, but the number of adoptions is far less than the number of pets that have been affected.

Unfortunately, this article is just another reminder of the devastating effects of foreclosure, and how important it is to keep fighting to keep families in their homes.

Read the article: CLICK HERE

Megan Carraher, Esq.
The Ticktin Law Group, P.A.

Florida Loan Modifications are not necessarily the answer

Modifications are not necessarily the answer

Many lenders, the media and even the President preach about loan modifications being the answer to the foreclosure crisis our country is currently experiencing. In theory this sounds like a good plan, but in actuality many of these so-called modifications fail and ultimately result in the borrower facing foreclosure nonetheless.

Read South Florida Business Journal Article

Some lenders are conscious of this problem and have started reducing principal and lowering interest rates, but until we see these reductions on a large scale, many experts believe we will see more and more borrowers continue to default. These are some of the factors that must be considered to see any form of a long-term recovery if our nation is going to rebound from the economic crisis we are experiencing.

Tim Quinones, Esq.

The Ticktin Law Group, P.A.

Trying to fix the problem early: Miami- Dade County takes a step in the right direction.

The Miami-Dade County court system is taking steps to resolve foreclosure cases at the early stages of the case. Under what is referred to as the CHAMP program, all cases involving a property in which homestead exemption is claimed and which was filed after May 1, 2009, will be referred to a mediation program. This allows both parties the opportunity to meet in a neutral fashion in order to discuss a positive resolution to the case. Most borrowers complain about their inability to communicate with anyone from the lender. This program was started as a response to those complaints, since the lack of communication with the lenders caused an increase in foreclosure filings which delay the proper administration of justice due to the overwhelming amounts of cases filed on a weekly basis.

Should the program be successful in its ultimate goal of reducing the backlogs in the court system by getting the parties together early, it will be implemented state wide. This is definitely a good beginning towards helping distressed homeowners in our communities.

Kendrick Almaguer, Esq.
The Ticktin Law Group

Victory in Foreclosure Defense

CitiFinancial offers dramatic principle & interest rate reduction


The Ticktin Law Group is currently defending over 1,400 Florida mortgage foreclosure cases and we are encouraged to see that the banks are responding to our defense by actively pursuing settlements in some of our longest standing cases. Recently, after nearly a year and a half of foreclosure defense, CitiFinancial offered a settlement to our client in the form of a 40% reduction on the principle balance and a fixed interest rate of 5%, down from 12.57%.

This is not the first settlement to be offered to one of our mortgage foreclosure defense clients, but it is certainly the most drastic reduction in principle and interest rate yet. Other mortgage companies that have made similar settlement offers are Accredited Home Lenders and Litton Loan Titanium Solutions. If you are currently pursuing foreclosure defense with our law firm and have not seen this kind of activity in your case, don't despair. The trends we are seeing from the mortgage companies in these cases are just the beginning of what we hope to see over the next few years for many more of our clients.

Ticktin Law Group opens new offices in Orlando and Ft. Myers

The Ticktin Law Group has opened two new offices this summer.

The central Florida office is located in downtown Orlando.

121 S. Orange Avenue
Suite 1500
Orlando, FL 33014
(407) 749-0303

The Bonita Springs office is in the Ft. Myers area to serve Southwest Florida clients.

27499 Riverview Center Blvd
Suite 106
Bonita Springs, FL 34134
(239) 220-5144

More information, including directions, may be found at www.MyForeclosureLawyer.com

Foreclosures and The Threat of Hurricane Season

As Florida's hurricane season begins, the tens of thousands of vacant homes claimed by foreclosure could pose a danger to the homes and people around them. The Broward County Emergency Management Director voiced his concerns to the media stating that unsecured debris from vacant, foreclosed homes may damage others' property and could even threaten the lives and safety of people living nearby if the unsecured debris is propelled by high winds. If unprotected homes are destroyed and left as a pile of rubble, it could also be another damaging blow to our weakened property values and local economy.

Sadly, the banks have not kept these vacant properties secure or well maintained. In many cases they neglect to pay homeowners association fees resulting in poor upkeep of the bank-owned properties as well as others in the association. As a community, we need to ensure that banks take responsibility for these homes. If you see a foreclosed home that is unsecured or in a state of disrepair in your neighborhood we urge you to contact the local authorities. Most communities have minimum standards for the upkeep of homes that can be enforced. Below you will find a link to contact your State and Federal representatives to alert them to this looming disaster. If the banks aren't going to step up and be accountable for homes they have claimed by foreclosure, then it's time we hold their feet to the fire and make them do the right thing.

Find your Representative: http://www.house.gov/

Find your Senator: http://www.senate.gov/

Find your Florida Representative: http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/