Lise Barrera - Attorney, Dancer and Legal Leader in Real Estate and Mortgage Issues

As many Americans have learned over the past few years, the laws that drive the mortgage and real estate industry are complex and often overwhelming. Enter the expert who has the bases covered and focuses her attention on the client, which is usually appraisers, credit unions, title companies and regional and community banks. ''In light of what has happened in the mortgage and real estate markets over the last few years, the need to stay on top of compliance issues has become even greater'', says Lise Barrera. She predicts even ''greater changes ahead''. So how did this admittedly over achiever make the transition from professional dancer to legal whiz? The Texas native says it's all about staying in touch with your own drives and passions.

Involved in dance from the time she was three, she chose to drop out of Texas A&M to chase her dancing drive. She moved to Columbus, Ohio, which also happens to be the home of the world professional and amateur championship. Admitting her parents were less than pleased, she knew if she didn't pursue this, she would always wonder what could have been. For more than four years, her career was built around instructing others in dance and anyone who knows the assertive and easy-going Barrera will tell you she was the best of the best, much as she is now that the law is her driving passion.

After chasing - and capturing - that dream, it was time to move forward, this time, and to the approval of her parents, she moved to nearby Michigan where she promptly earned a bachelor's degree in English and then graduated summa cum laude. Twenty-two credits in one semester are enough to cause any college student's heart to skip a few beats, but not Barrera. She pulled it off in her customary style, grace and confidence.

So who encouraged her to pursue her law degree? Her father believed the legal sector is where she belonged. She was accepted at every school she applied to and eventually chose Wayne State, where she said she had an incredible experience, ''It really was the place for me''. Her second year at Wayne State introduced her to Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer & Weiss, working as a summer associate. This is where she discovered the banking and finance sector. It's almost as though her future wrote itself.

After graduating cum laude in 1997, she went to work for the firm she'd spent that summer with. Crediting the wonderful lawyers in the firm, she says each has shared his or her own wealth of knowledge with her. Citing one of the partners, Gail Morris, as a legal mentor, she says she truly enjoys the challenge, especially in the sector she's chosen to specialize in. In a constant-evolving financial sector, and with new regulations being introduced on a seemingly weekly basis, there is certainly no shortage of opportunities.

Not the only lawyer in the family, Barrera's brother also practices law in Houston , Texas in the worker's compensation field. Barrera volunteers time to St. John's Hospice, saying she finds spiritual inspiration there. For relaxation, she chooses yoga and spending time with her monthly book club.

We are proud to have Lise Barrera as one of our showcased Legal Staff inductees. For more information on Barrera, visit her firm's site at JaffeLaw.com.

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