Litigation Management & Subservicer Oversight Counsel

This role serves as the legal department lead for the litigation management function across the MSR investment platform and affiliated entities (including Lakeview Loan Servicing, LLC). The position partners closely with the Servicing Oversight group to manage and oversee subservicers’ borrower-related litigation activities (including their engagement and direction of outside counsel) and directly handle litigation and claims that name Lakeview or other MSR Fund entities.

In addition, this role provides general legal support to the Housing Finance Association (HFA) and Third-Party Originations (TPO) groups, advising on contractual matters, disputes, and litigation risk associated with those business lines.

The position also leads contracting and transactional legal work related to subservicer relationships and manages third-party disputes and claims (offensive and defensive) across the MSR Fund entities.

This is a hybrid position, reporting to one of our office locations three days per week (Tuesday through Thursday). Office locations for this position are in Denver, CO; Coral Gables, FL; Fort Lauderdale, FL; or Horsham, PA. We offer a competitive salary range of $169,000 to $190,000, an annual bonus, 401(k) company match, and comprehensive medical benefits starting on day one. Compensation may vary based on experience, location, and other job-related factors. 

1) Litigation Management Oversight (Subservicers / Borrower-Related Matters)

• Establish and maintain a litigation oversight framework for subservicer-managed borrower litigation (e.g., foreclosure-related disputes, bankruptcy litigation issues, consumer protection claims, escrow/credit reporting disputes, servicing error allegations, and other borrower claims).
• Partner with the Servicing Oversight department to monitor subservicers’ litigation practices, escalation protocols, reporting, and outside counsel management.
• Develop and enforce standards for case intake, reserves, reporting cadence, pleadings review expectations, settlement authority, and documentation/servicing-record integrity.
• Analyze litigation trends, root causes, and subservicer performance; recommend corrective actions and process improvements.
• Coordinate escalation of high-risk matters and ensure appropriate internal stakeholder visibility (Risk, Compliance, Servicing Oversight, Operations, Finance).

2) Direct Handling of Litigation Naming Lakeview and MSR Fund Entities

• Lead strategy, case management, and resolution for litigation naming Lakeview Loan Servicing, LLC and/or other entities within the MSR Fund structure.
• Manage outside counsel, including selection, budgeting, engagement letters, guidelines, performance oversight, and fee management.
• Draft and review pleadings, briefs, settlement agreements, demand and response letters, and discovery strategy; oversee eDiscovery and litigation holds.
• Coordinate internal fact development, witness preparation, and discovery responses, including document production with business teams and subservicers.
• Attend certain hearings, depositions, settlement conferences, and trials with outside counsel.
• Provide risk assessments, probability-of-loss evaluations, and reserve recommendations in coordination with the accounting department and senior leadership.
• Ensure appropriate preservation of attorney‑client privilege and work product protections across litigation, investigations, and sub‑servicer communications, including guidance to business teams on litigation‑related communications.

3) Third-Party Disputes & Claims (Offensive and Defensive)

• Manage and resolve third-party disputes and claims (non-borrower), including vendor disputes, counterparty conflicts, indemnity matters, servicing transfer issues, and other commercial claims.
• Evaluate and pursue affirmative claims where appropriate, including breach of contract, indemnification, contribution, and recovery actions.
• Oversee pre-litigation strategy, negotiations, mediations, arbitrations, and settlement processes.
• Manage and oversee disputes and litigation related to the protection and enforcement of the company’s intellectual property, proprietary systems, data, processes, models, methodologies, and confidential information, including coordination with Information Security and Technology teams as needed.
• Coordinate with Human Resources on employee‑related disputes, claims, and litigation matters, including support of investigations, document production, and outside counsel management as needed.

4) Subservicer and Servicing-Related Transactional / Contracting Support

• Draft, review, and negotiate subservicer agreements, SOWs, amendments, SLAs, powers of attorney, performance standards, and litigation-management provisions.
• Negotiate and maintain contractual frameworks addressing reporting obligations, counsel guidelines, settlement authority, indemnities, insurance requirements, audit rights, confidentiality, data security, and regulatory cooperation.
• Support servicing transfers, onboarding, and offboarding activities from a legal, dispute-risk, and litigation-allocation perspective.

5) Support for HFA and TPO Business Lines

• Provide general legal support to the Housing Finance Association (HFA) group, including review of contractual matters, including servicing and hedging agreements, with HFAs and related counterparties, disputes, litigation risk, and program participation issues.
• Provide general legal support to the Third Party Originations (TPO) group, including draft, review, and negotiation of loan purchase contracts and ancillary documents, as well as review of contracts and counterparty issues involving brokers, correspondents, and other third-party originators, as well as dispute resolution and litigation risk assessment.
• Advise HFA and TPO stakeholders on escalation of claims, pre-litigation strategy, and coordination with subservicers and outside counsel when disputes implicate servicing or investor risk.
• Identify recurring legal and litigation risks within HFA and TPO channels and recommend risk-mitigation strategies and process improvements.

6) Governance, Controls, and Cross-Functional Leadership

• Develop and maintain policies, procedures, and playbooks related to litigation oversight, outside counsel management, settlement approvals, and claims handling.
• Create management reporting and dashboards covering litigation volume, costs, outcomes, trends, and emerging risks.
• Provide training and guidance to Servicing Oversight, HFA, and TPO teams regarding litigation escalation, documentation standards, and dispute prevention.
• Partner with Compliance and Risk to address governmental and regulatory inquiries, investigations, complaints, and enforcement matters that may escalate into litigation exposure.
• Conduct and oversee internal investigations related to litigation, disputes, servicing issues, or allegations of misconduct, including fact development, documentation review, witness interviews, and coordination with Compliance, Risk, Internal Audit, and outside counsel as appropriate.

7) Corporate-related Transactional/Contracting Support

• Provide general legal support to all MSR Fund-related entities, including formation of entities, corporate structuring, review and negotiation of financing agreements, securitizations, vendor agreements, corporate lease agreements, and NDAs.

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school; active bar membership in at least one U.S. jurisdiction (in good standing).
• 7+ years of relevant litigation experience, including direct case management and oversight of outside counsel.
• Experience with mortgage servicing, consumer finance litigation, and/or financial services disputes.
• Strong contract drafting and negotiation skills, particularly with complex vendor and counterparty agreements.
• Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally with operational, oversight, and business teams.
• Excellent written, analytical, and communication skills; sound judgment in high-risk matters.
• The role may be required to supervise and oversee other legal, litigation management, or support personnel, including responsibility for work allocation, performance oversight, training, and development.

Preferred Qualifications

• In-house experience at a mortgage servicer, MSR investor, lender, or specialty finance platform.
• Familiarity with disputes arising from HFA programs and TPO origination channels.
• Experience building or enhancing litigation management and vendor oversight frameworks.
• Understanding of third-party risk management and servicing oversight models.

Core Competencies

• Litigation and dispute management
• Subservicer and outside counsel oversight
• Commercial contracting and negotiation
• Cross-functional advisory and risk management
• Program development, metrics, and governance

Working Conditions / Travel

• Hybrid - minimum 3-days per week in office; limited travel for key matters, mediations, hearings, or subservicer reviews as needed.  Hybrid flexibility is not guaranteed, and may be changed by the company to 5-days per week in the office.

Disclaimer

This job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and responsibilities. Duties may evolve based on business needs.

Lakeview is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. All aspects of consideration for employment and employment with the Company are governed on the basis of merit, competence, and qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.