Assembly Line, "Foreclosure Mill" Law Firms Enjoying Big Profits In Florida; Private Equity Firms Seek To Buy Out Back-Office Operations

In Tampa, Florida, The Tampa Tribune reports:

• Their work can be so repetitive that some are known, disparagingly or not, as "foreclosure mills." But the niche field of foreclosure law is profiting enormously from the boom in Florida home foreclosures and is on a hiring spree. [...] Because many law firms file foreclosures across Florida, the biggest firms' monthly foreclosure caseload can grow to a thousand or more, with each case carrying a potential attorney fee of up to $1,200 - although it's not clear what the firms' profit margin is.

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• The foreclosure business is so strong that it has caught the eye of private equity investment firms, which buy companies using equity and debt financing. Private equity firms have begun buying the back-office foreclosure-processing operations from big law firms and are offering law firms outsourced foreclosure help. These outsourcing companies are keen on moving into Florida.

For more, see Law Firms Cash In On Foreclosures (A surge in foreclosure filings has Florida law firms scrambling for more staff). ForeclosureMillAttorneysAlpha