Attorney Litigation and Transactions: open to relocation

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PAUL G. WERSANT, ATTORNEY (C) (_***) ***- **** Atlanta, Georgia

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KEY STRENGTHS, COMPETENCIES AND OBJECTIVES

• Versatile attorney experienced in litigation, transactions and other areas, at firms/in-house and licensed in many states.

• Resolved many high risk commercial and personal disputes with favorable results. My experience enables me to help clients avert disputes by drafting and negotiating comprehensive transactions and establishing clear standards.

• Practice areas include bankruptcy, businesses, contracts, compliance, civil litigation, labor and employment, financial services, insurance, real estate, regulations, securities and statutory issues, further identified below.

• Constantly innovating/refining [Kaizen] to provide better results for clients: more revenue with less risk/cost.

• Actively looking for opportunity, in-house, with a firm or a government agency. Open to relocating or telecommuting. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Attorney/Consultant, Florida, Georgia and Maryland, September 2017-Present

• Representing/consulting with businesses and individuals on legal compliance, bankruptcy, business disputes, employment, insurance, real property and related transactions and civil rights litigation in FL, GA and MD.

• Advised clients on regulatory issues such as scope and applicability of consumer protection statutes.

• Resolved business insurance dispute. Obtained retroactive reinstatement of coverage for 40-year plus period. Albertelli & Whitworth, P.A, Georgia, Florida and Texas Senior Counsel, November 2016-August 2017

• Implemented and successfully prosecuted first-chair federal cases to resolve aged, complex property title issues and foreclosures in FL, GA and TX for clients. Obtained judgments in 3-6 months, Increased files to 110 in 8 months.

• Successfully prosecuted, defended and resolved complex cases on contracts, real estate, mortgages, financial services and complex statutory claims, such as FCRA, FDCPA, RESPA, RICO, TILA, bankruptcy claims, objections, motions and adversary cases in Chapters 7-13. Handled litigation from pleadings to judgments and appeals.

• Prepared litigation budgets and risk-benefit case analysis for clients. Analyzed title reports and data on legal interests in property. Analyzed insurance coverage, such as effect of letters of indemnification on legal issues. Advised clients on compliance and regulatory issues such as applicability of consumer protection statutes to enforcement of secured property interests. Ensured title standards were met on client-owned properties.

• Developed clientele such as J.P. Morgan, Nationstar, Bank of America, CIT Bank, Carrington, Caliber, Wells Fargo and private investors. Provided presentations and training to clients on regulatory, compliance and legal matters.

• Trained and managed paralegal staff in litigation, systems and compliance with applicable legal standards. Sequoia Equities, Inc., Georgia, California, Florida, Maryland, Texas and other jurisdictions Corporate Counsel, November 2011– November 2016

• Sole in-house counsel for parent and subsidiaries, which own/lease real estate and manage investments. Established and operated legal department with minimal overhead. Assets included distressed real estate requiring corrective legal work.

• Orchestrated successful due diligence, acquisition, management, leasing, sales, development and monetization of commercial and residential real estate portfolios valued over $10,000,000 and television network, The Country Network.

• Managed staff. Handled labor and employment issues like hiring, training, regulatory compliance, severance, policies, procedures, compensation and litigation. Managed vendors/outside counsel.

• Implemented prosecution of low-cost in-house litigation to expedite favorable resolution of business and real estate cases in AL, CA, FL, GA, IL, IN, MD, MI, MO, NY, TX and VA, including under Securities Acts of 1933-34.

• Produced savings and revenue. Saved client over $300,000.00 by resolving executive claims in 3 cases and $450,000.00 in another case by compelling non-performing vendor to cancel remaining term of contract. Generated client revenue such as 2016 case settlements exceeding $550,000.00 and judgment cancelling $30,000.00 in first-lien taxes on property, permitting its resale. Obtained judgments on foreclosures/other cases in 3-6 months, expediting sales.

• Successfully negotiated, drafted and closed business transactions and contracts for corporate governance, operations, shareholders, investors, mergers, acquisitions, purchases and sales, contractors, settlements, members and joint ventures.

• Successfully negotiated and closed real estate transactions such as leases, asset sales, notes, mortgages, modifications, forbearances and releases, funding business from 2011-15. Handled and resolved insurance claims.

• Conducted and optimized in-house loan servicing by establishing compliance policies, procedures and training, precluding mortgage-related suits against business. Provided advice, budgets, risk-benefit analysis/regulatory research. 2

PAUL G. WERSANT, ATTORNEY (C) (_678) 894- 5876 Atlanta, Georgia

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Aldridge Pite, LLP f/k/a Aldridge Connors, LLP, Georgia and Florida Senior Associate, May 2011-November 2011

• Successfully implemented and conducted unique program to prosecute first-chair federal cases to resolve aged complex property title cases in FL and GA, mostly predating 2010, with judgments in 3-6 months permitting sales to proceed.

• Practice areas include contracts, collections, financial services, insurance and real estate matters, such as compliance, condemnation, mortgages, including title curative issues, taxes, foreclosure and bankruptcy including claims, objections, motions for relief and adversary cases in Chapter 7-13 bankruptcy cases. Added commercial litigation practice area. Obtained over $100,000 in settling suit for fraudulent appraisal and other business torts.

• Obtained many defense verdicts on cases under §1983, ECOA, FCCPA, FCRA, FDCPA, FIRREA, FMLA, HOA, RESPA, RICO, TCPA, TILA, UDAP, Privacy Act and common law. Motions to dismiss were often unopposed.

• Handled all legal research, pleadings, motions, discovery, hearings, trials, judgments, settlement and ADR.

• Assessed and analyzed title reports and contracts regarding legal issues, such as priority of secured and unsecured interests, leases, purchase contracts, ownership and rights of use. Made risk-benefit assessments on litigation and/or other title curative activities and insurance coverage. Trained and managed staff on litigation matters.

• Trained and managed staff including case initiation, case management, client reporting and billing. Johnson & Freedman, LLC, f/k/a Morris, Schneider & Prior, Georgia, Florida and other jurisdictions Associate, December 2005-May 2011

• Implemented prosecution of first-chair federal cases at AV-rated firm to resolve complex commercial civil litigation, real estate and collections cases for clients in D.C., FL, GA, MD, MS, NC, SC, TN and VA, with judgments in 3-6 months. Increased caseload from 68 to over 250 files, handled with 1 paralegal.

• Created one-stop legal shop by handling cases as to administrative law, admiralty, contracts, collections, construction, employment, family law, financial services, insurance defense, torts, including personal injury, probate, residential and commercial real estate, including compliance, condemnation, landlord-tenant, title curative, foreclosure and bankruptcy claims, objections, motions and adversary cases in Chapter 7-13.

• Handled cases involving everything from hotel worth over $5,000,000 to residences. Forced sale of real property, obtaining over $2,600,000 for client. Obtained over $500,000 to settle evictions of foreclosed properties. Resolved personal injury case and obtained $30,000 one month after hire. Resolved civil case against vendor, recovering

$100,000 paid for work never done.

• Prosecuted over 200 collection cases in federal and state court on portfolio worth over $5,000,000, resulting in expedited judgments in 90% of cases and increased recovery. Only 6 cases contested, resolved by settlement/judgment, including sole counterclaim dismissed by motion.

• Obtained many defense verdicts on cases under §1983, ECOA, FCCPA, FCRA, FDCPA, FHA, FIRREA, FMLA, GFBPA, GFHA, HUD, HOA, HIPAA, HOEPA, RESPA, RICO, TCPA, TITLE VII, TILA, UDAP, Privacy Act, forfeiture, mortgage financing and servicing. Motions mostly uncontested.

• Handled cases from pleadings to appeals. Advised clients on compliance.

• Conducted risk-benefit assessments, prepared budgets and managed local counsel.

• Developed clientele such as First Am, Chase, SunTrust, Citi, Bank of A, Wells, Fannie Mae, Regions and others.

• Trained and managed staff.

FEDERAL AND STATE BAR ADMISSIONS

• Admitted in Maryland, District of Columbia, Georgia, Florida with New York Pending.

• Admitted in federal courts in MD, D.C. GA and FL, federal courts in MI and Northern Districts of IL and IN, Southern District of TX, Fourth and Eleventh Circuit Courts of Appeal. Admitted Pro-Hac Vice in CA, MO, NY, NC and SC, TN, TX and VA. Eligible for admission in any U.S. states and any federal jurisdictions. EDUCATION

Widener University School of Law Alvernia University Wilmington, Delaware Reading, Pennsylvania

Juris Doctor Bachelor of Arts in History

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