Massachusetts Lawyers Claim Foreclosure Rescue Regs Forcing Them To Turn Away Certain Cases

Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly reports:

• Lawyers complain that a new [Massachusetts] regulation designed to protect property owners from corrupt foreclosure-rescue schemes is unfairly preventing them from representing clients in need of their services. Until [Massachusetts] Attorney General Martha Coakley clarifies whether her office truly intended to bar lawyers from accepting retainers in certain foreclosure cases, a number of practitioners told Lawyers Weekly they begrudgingly will continue to turn away would-be clients. "There aren't too many lawyers out there who are going to take on a case if they can't accept an advance fee from a potential client," said Peter T. Clark of Mansfield. "This is a big problem right now because, right or wrong, that's how a lot of lawyers who do not want to face significant sanctions are reading these regulations."

For more, see Lawyers: unclear foreclosure regs forcing them to turn down business (Claim that new rule bars acceptance of retainers in certain types of cases).