In New York courts, judges are not just holding lenders accountable for mishandled foreclosure filings and processes; they are tackling their legal colleagues as well[1]. Nassau County District Court Judge Scott Fairgrieve summed up the situation, saying that the entire robo-signing and potentially fraudulent foreclosure fiasco “reflects poorly on the profession as a whole,” while one of his colleagues simply called many of the legal documents in question “ludicrous.”

And the judges are not just slinging mud. They’re taking action. In New York foreclosure lawyers now must personally attest to the accuracy of the paperwork that they submit, and Florida is following suit. Although the New York bar association has already protested this requirement, comparing it to forcing defense lawyers to “swear that their clients were telling the truth” (which would lead, they argue to no one practicing criminal law) many legal experts believe that the oath of accuracy is necessary because so many documents were signed previously without “sufficient examination or proper notarization.” In fact, the Florida attorney general’s office recently released a 98-page powerpoint presentation indicating that many law offices did fail to adequately supervise and review the documents pertaining to foreclosures, and while lenders are certainly responsible for this problem, the public eye has also turned to the legal eagles who let the paperwork through.

Do you think that judges and lawyers may also have “robo-signed” just as badly as the lenders? Should they be held accountable?

Thank you for reading! Your comments and questions are welcomed below.

[1] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/11/in-foreclosure-fraud-lawy_n_807266.html?ir=New%20York