Bryan Cave Lawyers Named VLP 'Lawyers of the Month,' Obtain Favorable Results in Pro Bono Home Equity Fraud Trial

Phoenix Partner Jay Zweig and Associate Robert Reder are being honored as “Lawyers of the Month” by the Volunteer Lawyers Program (VLP) for the time they have dedicated to a pro bono case involving home equity fraud. Their work resulted in a favorable jury verdict for the clients, who were given back their home and awarded more than $400,000 in damages. Gallagher & Kennedy Partner Mark Deatherage served as co-counsel and will share this award.

In this case, referred by the VLP, two Spanish-speaking brothers purchased a family home in 1988 in Phoenix, Ariz. The brothers worked for 20 years to build equity in the home until they fell victim to a mortgage fraud scheme. The brothers were introduced to a local company and told that documents they were signing were for a short-term loan to assist with their mortgage payments. In reality, the documents transferred title of their home to the company at the center of a fraud scheme that victimized hundreds of Arizona homeowners. The brothers ultimately lost the house and were evicted with their families.

Since 1981, the Volunteer Lawyers Program has united those in need with volunteer attorneys whose counsel gives thousands of Arizonans hope for a better life. VLP is co-sponsored by Community Legal Services and the Maricopa County Bar Association.

Zweig practices in all areas of employment law and related commercial litigation. He represents private businesses, public corporations and governments in avoiding and resolving employment law disputes. Zweig has more than 20 years of experience in counseling and representing employers in matters related to human resources, preventing and defending lawsuits and administrative actions regarding contracts, non-compete covenants, sexual harassment, discrimination, wage and hour law, class action, OSHA and ADA issues.

Reder practices in the areas of commercial and environmental litigation and labor and employment. His commercial litigation experience involves state and federal trial court and appellate litigation. He also assists businesses with a variety of employment matters related to human resource management, prevention and defense of lawsuits, EEOC actions, investigations by the U.S. Department of Labor and the defense of OSHA citations, including those related to fatalities.