Pfeifer & Reynolds LLP - Attorneys at Law

Michael R. Pfeifer

Phone:  714 703-9300
Fax:        714 703-9303
E-mail:   MPfeifer@pfeiferlaw.com

 

Michael R. Pfeifer is the managing partner of Pfeifer & Reynolds, LLP, an "AV" rated law firm that concentrates on representation of mortgage lenders, brokers, servicers, and investors. Mr. Pfeifer has nearly 30 years of experience in representing clients in the financial services industry, with particular emphasis on lender liability defense, financial fraud investigation and recovery, regulatory compliance, and creditor representation in bankruptcy. He is currently the Chair of the Quality Assurance Committee of the California Mortgage Bankers Association and is a member of its Board of Directors.  He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Orange County Chapter of the California Mortgage Brokers Association.

 

Mr. Pfeifer is admitted to practice in all of the state and federal courts in California, as well as the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of the United States.  He holds a Juris Doctorate degree from Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York, where he was the managing editor of the International Law Journal, and earned his Bachelor's degree, magna cum laude, from Claremont McKenna College in Southern California.  He also completed a year of study at the London School of Economics in London, England and has achieved the highest rating, "AV," given by the Martindale-Hubbell national directory of attorneys.

 

An accomplished author, Mr. Pfeifer has published articles in a variety of leading trade journals including Mortgage Banking Magazine, Mortgage Finance, Mortgage Matters, Servicing Management, and publications of the American Bar Association.  He is the Editor of "Combating Fraud and Unethical Practices in Real Estate Transactions, Second Edition: A Practice and Training Guide," published by the Mortgage Banker's Association of America (Autumn, 2002), and is one of the contributing authors of The Handbook of Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities, edited by Frank Fabozzi, Adjunct Professor of Finance at Yale University. 

 

Mr. Pfeifer is also a frequent speaker at various MBA, CMBA, and CAMB seminars and conventions, and is an active member of the following industry groups:  Mortgage Bankers Association of America (Chair of the Quality Assurance Committee’s Fraud & Ethics Subcommittee 1999-2002; Member, Quality Assurance Professional Designation Task Force); California Mortgage Bankers Association (Chair, Quality Assurance Committee; Member, Board of Directors);  California Association of Mortgage Brokers (Board of Directors, OC Chapt.); Association of Certified Fraud Examiners;  Credit Research Foundation; and Financial Lawyers Conference of California.  Former chairman of the Financial Practices Section of the Orange County Bar Association, he has also taught courses on Civil Litigation, Deposition Skills, and Pre-trial Discovery for California’s Continuing Education of the Bar ("CEB"), and continuing education and extension courses for the University of California at Irvine on Evidence Law, Civil Procedure, and Prejudgment Remedies. 

 

Communications to Mr. Pfeifer may be addressed to him at:

 

PFEIFER & REYNOLDS, LLP
765 The City Drive, Suite 380, Orange, California. 92868
Telephone: 714 703-9300 and Facsimile: 714 703-9303
E-Mail:  mpfeifer@pfeiferlaw.com

Position:

  • Managing Partner

 

Areas Of Practice:

  • Banking & Finance Law
  • Business & Commercial Law
  • Bankruptcy Law
  • Complex Litigation
  • Creditors' Rights
  • Professional, Officer and Director Liability
  • Real Estate Law
  • Regulatory Compliance & Auditing
  • Uniform Commercial Code

 

Litigation:

  • 80% of practice devoted to litigation

 

Admitted:

  • California, 1976
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 1980
  • U.S. District Court Central District of California, 1977
  • U.S. District Court Northern District of California, 1980
  • U.S. Supreme Court, 1980
  • U.S. Tax Court, 1984
  • U.S. District Court Eastern District of California, 1995
  • U.S. District Court Southern District of California, 1995

 

Education:

  • Cornell Law School, Ithaca, NY, 1975
    Juris Doctorate
  • Honors: Specialization in International Legal Affairs
    Honors: Recipient, Nathan Rothstein Prize
    Law Journal: Managing Editor, International Law Journal, 1974 - 1975
  • Claremont Men's College, Claremont, California, 1972
    B.A., Bachelor of Arts
    Honors: Magna Cum Laude
  • London School of Economics, London, England, 1971

 

Published Works:

  • “Combating Fraud and Unethical Practices in Real Estate Transactions,” Editor and Contributing Author, Mortgage Bankers Association of America, 2002
  • “Lender Liability: Perspectives on the Evolution of Legal Risk in 21st Century Mortgage Lending," Mortgage Banking Magazine, September 2000.
  • “Legal Fiction: Misapplication of Class Action Remedies to Mortgage Banking Regulations,” Mortgage Banking Magazine, November, 1996;
  • “Legal Effects of Securitization of Loan Servicing,” Mortgage Finance, March/April, 1996;
  • “Sharing Secrets (Emerging Legal Risks in the Handling of Non-Public Mortgage Servicing Information),” Mortgage Banking Magazine, December 1995;
  • “Commercial/Multi-Family Lines,” US Network News, Summer, 1995;
  • “A Legal Safety Net: Strategies and Defenses to Loan Repurchase Obligations,” Mortgage Banking Magazine, June 1995;
  • “Are Your Documents Standard?” Servicing Management Magazine, February, 1995
  • “Buying Servicing Rights? Beware!,” Servicing Management, December 1994;
  • “Applying Fair Lending Principles and Practices to Commercial Loans,” Mortgage Finance, October 1994;
  • Contributing author: “The Handbook of Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities,” edited by Frank Fabozzi.

 

Classes/Seminars Taught:

  • “HUD’s Fraud Prevention & Recovery Program,” MBA Quality Assurance Conference, September, 2001.
  • “Mortgage Fraud Recovery,” National Quality Assurance Conference, Mortgage Bankers Association of America, September 2000.
  • “Repurchase Face-Off: Issues in Loan Repurchase Litigation,” National Quality Assurance Conference Mortgage Bankers Association of American, September 2000.
  • “Privacy Rights and Emerging Compliance Concerns,” National Regulatory Compliance Conference, Mortgage Bankers Association of America, December 1999;
  • “Regulatory Compliance Enforcement” National Quality Assurance Conference, Mortgage Bankers Association of America, October 1999;
  • “Loan Fraud Recovery and the Bankruptcy Code,” California Mortgage Bankers Association (CMBA) Regulatory Compliance Conference, January, 1998;
  • “Recent Developments in Foreclosure Litigation” California Trustees Association, Orange County Chapter, October 1998;
  • “Case Law/Class Action Developments,” CMBA Regulatory Compliance Conference, November, 1996;
  • Commercial Loan Documentation Workshop, Mortgage Bankers Association of America, May 1996;
  • Outsourcing of Loan Servicing Functions, Legal Issues Conference, Mortgage Bankers Association, March 1996;
  • “Legal Issues in Commercial Loan Securitization,” Real Estate Capital Resources Association, November 1995;
  • “Criminal and Regulatory Liability: Has Limiting Exposure for Officers and Directors Become The Impossible Dream?," Orange County Bar Association, Corporate Counsel Section, May, 1994;
  • “Perspectives on Receivers,” Financial Institutions and Services, Orange County Bar Association, May 1993.
  • “The Legal Issues of Problem Collections in California,” National Business Institute Program, 1992.

Honors:

  • "AV" Rating, Martindale-Hubbell

 

Affiliations:

  • American Bar Association, 1978 - Present
    Member
  • Orange County Bar Association, 1978 - Present
    Member
  • American Bankruptcy Institute
    Member
  • Credit Research Foundation
    Member
  • California Trustees Association
    Member
  • California Mortgage Bankers Association
    Member
  • Financial Lawyers Conference of California
    Member
  • Mortgage Bankers Association of America
    Member
  • Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
    Member
  • Orange County Bar Association, 1995
    Former Chairman, Section of Financial Practices
  • State of California, 1984 - Present
    Real Estate Broker
  • Orange County Bar Association
    Member, Sections of Business Litigation, Commercial Law, Bankruptcy
  • State Bar of California
    Member, Sections of Real Estate, Business Law
  • American Bar Association