Indiana: Seminars help attorneys lend hand on foreclosures

There’s one area of law practice that’s booming right now for attorneys in many areas of the country.

With foreclosures at record levels, homeowners need help reaching a resolution with lenders. And while they may not be able to pay a lawyer much, if anything, many attorneys are either taking such cases pro bono or looking to collect from a third party, if lending laws have been violated, according to the Indianapolis Star.

With Indiana’s home foreclosure rates ranking among the worst in the nation, the state and several legal groups want to train hundreds of attorneys, judges and mediators in using new mortgage modification programs to keep people in their homes.

The first of 30 training seminars last Friday filled all 100 seats in a meeting room in Indianapolis, which last year ranked among the 35 U.S. areas with the highest number of foreclosures. Marion County and 34 other counties across the country together accounted for more than half of all foreclosures filed last year.

The seminars, which will be held statewide through July, also will train judges and mediators.

Christine M. Jackson, an Indianapolis attorney in solo practice, said the sessions are “desperately needed” by attorneys. She said an average of 20 homeowners a week contact her, seeking legal help to fight foreclosures by their lenders because they’ve fallen behind on house payments.

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