New York State Foreclosure Defense Bar
Board of Directors
Yolande I. Nicholson, Esq.
President
Yolande I. Nicholson, Esq., is a graduate of Columbia University School of Law, who practiced as a corporate finance attorney at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton where she also provided pro bono counsel to many community and economic development groups and causes. Ms. Nicholson then served as vice president and assistant general counsel at The Chase Manhattan Bank, and then as vice president/global money markets transactions manager at Chase’s investment bank subsidiary, JPMorgan Securities Inc. Ms. Nicholson then served as an executive on loan from JPMorgan Securities to Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation ("BSRC"), the seminal community development organization, and then as BSRC’s executive vice president and general counsel. Subsequently, Ms. Nicholson practiced in the financial products group at Clifford Chance, a leading global markets firm, as a senior, structured finance, rating-agency counsel on collateralized debt obligations (CDOs). In 2009, Ms. Nicholson was named chief counsel to Congressman Edolphus “Ed” Towns, then Chair of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Ms. Nicholson has received U.S. Congressional Record Recognitions, and is the recipient of New York City Mayoral Special Achievement Award, among other awards, for her commitment to economic development projects and community service. In 2010, Nicholson began her firm and private practice, specializing in foreclosure prevention. Ms. Nicholson has published a number of articles in the area of foreclosure defense and applicable laws, and conducts trainings on securitization and foreclosure defense law. Ms. Nicholson pioneered the formation and development of the New York State Foreclosure Defense Bar since 2011.
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Serge Petroff, Esq.
Executive Vice President
Serge Petroff , Esq., upon his J.D. from St. John's University, developed unique experience in litigating complex legal matters on behalf of commercial clients, as well as defending homeowners facing foreclosure. Mr. Petroff is a tenacious advocate who emanates honesty and dedication, and is committed to providing zealous representation and cost effective legal services. Mr. Petroff is also active in foreclosure prevention through the Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP) of the Brooklyn Bar Association, helping those who may not otherwise have access to the quality legal services that every family deserves. In addition, Mr. Petroff is a current member of the Director’s Circle of the VLP Foreclosure Panel. Mr. Petroff is a founding member and Executive Vice President of the New York State Foreclosure Defense Bar. Mr. Petroff is admitted to practice law in the State of New York, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Mr. Petroff has received the Director’s Circle of VLP Foreclosure Panel Award, the New York State Supreme Court Pro Bono Award, and the Brooklyn Bar Association Gold Certificate For Exceptional Commitment to Pro Bono Service with the following citation: Dedication, professionalism and generosity that help make access to justice a reality for Brooklyn’s neediest residents. Mr. Petroff is one of the three founding members of the NYSFDB. .
Catherine Isobe, Esq.
Corporate Secretary
Catherine Isobe, Esq., is a senior staff attorney specializing in foreclosure prevention at Brooklyn Legal Services ("BLS"). Before joining BLS in 2010, Ms. Isobe represented homeowners as a volunteer for the New York City Bar Justice Center and the Brooklyn Bar Association's Volunteer Lawyers Project. Through her work at BLS and other law firms, Ms. Isobe has gained extensive experience in employment discrimination, social security disability law and landlord and tenant law. She has been a frequent presenter at homeowner outreach events throughout Brooklynm, and is a former New York State co-chair of the National Association of Consumer Advocates. Ms. Isobe is a 1998 graduate of Fordham University School of Law. Ms. Isobe is one of the three founding members of the NYSFDB.
Ene E. Crooks, Esq.
Treasurer and Membership Development Director
Ene E. Crooks is a knowledgeable real estate attorney with a longstanding interest in all facets of real estate. Her experience, advocacy skills and meticulous attention to detail allow her to practice in a diverse set of areas. She specializes in all aspects of real estate, estate planning (including wills, trusts, and probate and estate administration), and corporate and small business matters. Ms. Crooks is a graduate of Columbia College and Columbia Law School. Her background includes work as an associate in private law firms, and foreclosure attorney with Erasmus Neighborhood Federation. Ms. Crooks is now principal of her own firm, the Law Offices of Ene E. Crooks, serving clients throughout the New York Metropolitan area. Ms. Crooks is a member of the New York State Bar Association, Brooklyn Bar Association, Metropolitan Black Bar Association and the Association of Black Women Attorneys. Ms. Crooks is committed to community service. At the onset of the foreclosure crisis, she volunteered as a pro bono attorney with the Brooklyn Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyer Project (VLP), to represent individuals and families who may not otherwise have had access to the legal representation, or were unable to afford a private attorney.
Ross Schiller, Esq.
Regional Co-Chair, Long Island
Ross L. Schiller, Esq., has 19 years combined business, management and legal experience. He has worked extensively with investors, investment banks, commercial banks, credit enhancers and insurers, trustees and legal counsel in a wide variety of structured finance and securitization transactions. Mr. Schiller was as an ssociate director, ratings analyst and surveillance analyst in the Structured Finance Group at Standard & Poor’s, vice president of Business Development with a technology company, and a varied list of small and large businesses. Mr. Schiller's extensive professional experience includes in the area of bankruptcy law during his tenure at the law firm of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP. Mr. Schiller also has experience in the areas of real estate, trust and estates, loan modifications and loss mitigation as well as litigation. Mr. Schiller received his J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law, and graduated from the New York Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science degree. At SJU Law, he was the recipient of the prestigious CALI Award for Future Excellence in Bankruptcy, and served as a Duberstein Drafting Committee Member for the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Duberstein Mock Trial, as well as years later, serving as a judge for the Institute's mock trials. Mr. Schiller is admitted to the New York State Bar, and is a member of the New York State Bar Association and the Nassau County Bar Association, and is a member of the Board of Director's for the Nassau County Bar Association, a former Committee Chairperson, and recipient of the Access to Justice Champion Award from the NCBA.
Alice A. Nicholson, Esq.
Special Programs Director
Alice A. Nicholson, Esq., a graduate of New York University School of Law, has practiced in New York Metropolitan area (including Westchester and Long Island) since 1986. Ms. Nicholson began her professional career as a social security advocate at Bedford-Stuyvesant Legal Services Corporation. From there, she moved on to serve as a court attorney at the Appellate Division, Second Department, and then as a senior attorney at Queens Legal Services. During law school, she worked on police brutality cases at the Center for Constitutional Rights. Additional interests while in law school landed her at the American Civil Liberties Union, where she worked on jurisdictional issues in tax foreclosure sales. Ms. Nicholson, as the principal of Alice A. Nicholson Law, is now in private practice. Although she has experience in the areas of commercial litigation, real estate and Social Security law, Ms. Nicholson has focused her practice on foreclosure prevention law, in both state and federal courts. Ms. Nicholson is a member of the American Bar Association and the National Association of Consumer Attorneys.