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There’s been a decrease in the demand for real estate and title lawyers in recent years. This decrease is partially due to the mortgage meltdown; but recent changes in the long awaited government updates for RESPA laws are now playing a role in law firms seeking new attorneys who can navigate these tougher new guidelines. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, put the new Real Estate Settlement Procedures, or RESPA, into effect on January 1, 2010.

Because there had been no new revisions since the mid 1970s, major changes were anticipated – and that’s exactly what happened. As a result, those filling legal job openings are double checking to be sure they understand these sweeping new regulations. New forms, new disclosures and new protections are now in place to better protect potential homeowners while bigger penalties are in place to keep those professionals in the real estate and/or mortgage sectors in line. According to A. Harrison Barnes, founder of LawCrossing.com, while there are significant changes, the foundation is still in place and should be easy for those title attorneys accustomed to the old way of closing home mortgages. It’s also a great time for internships, too since it provides insight into this growing area of law practice.

Some of the changes include:

New ways of documenting the borrower’s receipt of the GFE, or good faith estimate, especially when doing so by electronic methods

Records retention timeframes, especially those in electronic format

New and improved ways to inform borrowers of the closing and appraisal costs

A new and updated HUD settlement that is easier to understand; and

New definitions on when disclosures must be received by borrowers as well as the documentation methods the realtors and mortgage brokers or loan originators use

While all of these new guidelines affect the lenders, there are those compliance issues the attorney must adhere to. A. Harrison Barnes says the goal was to make RESPA easier to understand and less complicated for the homeowners or mortgage applicants. Because the title attorney oversees the legalities and contractual aspects, expect even more compliance issues and of course, each state has its own compliance laws as well; lawyers know there’s a learning curve.

Still, now that the real estate market is showing signs of improvement, sites such as LegalAuthority.com and LawCrossing.com expect to see a continued trend in available careers for real estate lawyers and title lawyers. This is good news on many fronts, since these trends are also indicative of more borrowers willing to take a leap of faith and begin searching for new homes, a practice that has been nearly non-existent for nearly two years.

If you’re looking for a new and challenging legal specialty or are graduating law school and wondering where to focus your efforts, it might be real estate law is the right choice. LawCrossing.com is a great way to jumpstart that legal career. It offers an exceptional resume service and offers the most job openings from around the country.

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