Riker Danzig LLP - Podcast Details

Shows

Title NerdsSeason 4, Episode 2This episode of Title Nerds featured three of Riker Danzig’s summer associates and one of our title insurance associates, who expounded on principles of law in cases they had researched and reported on. First up, Co-Host Mike O’Donnell interviewed Noah Wilk of University of Maryland Law School, who discussed Oclar Prop. LLC v. Atl. View Cemetery Assn., Inc., No. A-0834-23, 2023 N.J. Super. Unpub. LEXIS 746 (App. Div. May 6, 2025), which concerned a deal to purchase property for single family residences in which municipal Planning Board approval was required. The Seller ultimately terminated the contract while awaiti...2025-07-2135 min

Title NerdsSeason 4, Episode 1We kicked off the new season of Title Nerds with a deep-dive into wire fraud with our special guests John Gavigan, CEO of WireVault, which provides wire fraud prevention software, and Kinny Chan, Chief Commercial Officer of Trust Stamp, an identity verification company. Co-hosts Mike O’Donnell and Bethany Abele discussed with John and Kinny the growing experience of lawyers and real estate professionals who are fending off fraudsters trying to intercept bank instructions and redirect payments to themselves. John and Kinny shared some of the common scenarios that cyber criminals exploit, such as taking advantage of ban...2025-02-1752 min

The Fade Route with D and ZThe In Route with Jonathan BarreraIn part 2 of our interview, Jonathan Barrera of Riker Danzig LLP joins the In Route to discuss the legal issues surrounding the Gruden and Flores lawsuits and more!2025-02-0329 min

The Fade Route with D and ZFooting the BillsJonathan Barrera of Riker Danzig LLP joins the In Route to discuss NIL's impact on college sports, the Jon Gruden and Brian Flores lawsuits and more! Plus, D and Z break down the conference championship games, debate if the Mets should move on from Pete Alonso, and more!2025-01-301h 39

Title NerdsSeason 3, Episode 6Co-hosts Mike O’Donnell and Bethany Abele welcomed to the podcast special guest John Crowley, New Jersey State Counsel for Stewart Title Guaranty Company. Among other things, John tracks legislative developments and case law affecting the title arena for Stewart Title, acting as liaison between all business units. He is also head of Stewart Title’s CLE programming. John provided several nuggets of advice for title agents and potential insureds, including: Involve underwriting counsel early and often, as document review can take time depending on the transaction’s complexity. Include all related files and documents to underwr...2025-01-0244 min

Title NerdsSeason 3, Episode 5Riker Danzig partners Stuart Lederman and Rudy Randazzo were our special guests for the 5th episode of Season 3, moderated by our co-hosts Michael O’Donnell and Bethany Abele. Stuart and Rudy practice in Riker’s Governmental Affairs and Litigation practices with extensive experience in Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law as well as Construction Law, regularly navigating issues of title, and frequently interacting with our title insurance attorneys at the intersection of title law and real property condemnations. Stuart and Rudy represent both governmental entities who are acquiring properties, and also property owners whose properties are targeted to be taken for par...2024-11-271h 00

Title NerdsSeason 3, Episode 4Title Nerds co-hosts Michael O’Donnell and Bethany Abele talked with special guest Jeffrey Greif, a seasoned real estate title sales professional with 37 years’ experience, most of which has been with First American Title Insurance Company, with which he is a four-time Circle of Excellence award winner. Jeffrey explained why title insurance is necessary, to confirm that “the property you think you are buying is actually the property you are buying,” giving examples of the various title defects that can be uncovered when conducting title searches, including neighbor disputes, inheritance issues, fraud, and more. Jeffrey discussed how title insurance has evolve...2024-09-1628 min

Title NerdsSeason 3, Episode 3Co-hosts Michael O’Donnell and Bethany Abele welcomed special guest Scott Sumner, Vice President and Underwriting Counsel of Fidelity National Financial, who has played various roles in his 21-year career, including serving as NJ State Counsel and NJ State Manager for the business operations. Scott provided insights as to what title agents can do to get their deals closed efficiently, including urging agents to raise potential issues as early as possible and to provide all known facts to the underwriting counsel. Some of the more challenging situations that Scott addressed were tidelands searches, bankruptcies and mortgage foreclosures, and...2024-07-3147 min

Title NerdsSeason 3, Episode 2Riker Danzig partners Jim Lott and Diane Hickey were our special guests for the second episode of Season 3, moderated by our co-hosts Mike O’Donnell and Bethany Abele. Jim and Diane practice in Riker’s Governmental Affairs practice with extensive experience in Land Use law, regularly dealing with disputes over title, and continually interacting with planning boards and the Department of Transportation at the intersection of title law and real estate development. They explained to Bethany and Mike that most of their title examination for commercial development comes during thorough due diligence, whether for developers, lenders or inves...2024-05-0630 min

Title NerdsSeason 3, Episode 1Co-hosts Mike O’Donnell and Bethany Abele kicked off the third season of Title Nerds by welcoming special guest Bushnell Nielsen, author of the well-regarded treatise Title and Escrow Claims Guide, which Mike and Bethany noted they and every title insurance attorney in the country regularly refer to. Bush provided tips on finding and working with expert consultants for title insurance cases, from hiring to trial. He gives his insight on when you should find the expert, asking specific questions to discern if the expert knows what you need the expert to know, how to work with an...2024-03-0652 min

Title NerdsSeason 2, Episode 6Special guest Anton Tonev, co-founder of Inspect HOA, joined us for our final episode of Season 2 of Title Nerds. Drawing from his own experience as a member of an HOA, he built this business for real estate professionals and buyers who need to deal with homeowners associations. With 400,000 HOAs in the U.S. and no central database of HOAs, his business has established a niche service, including hoa.com, to assist buyers, attorneys, lenders and escrow officers. He and his team work with clients on several thousand closings a month. Anton shared examples of scenarios in which...2023-12-1519 min

Title NerdsSeason 2, Episode 5Forensic title expert Joe Grabas was our special guest for Episode 5 of our second season of Title Nerds, joining co-hosts Mike O’Donnell and Bethany Abele. Joe is a certified title professional, and the Director and Chief Instructor of the Grabas Institute for Continuing Education. He is also the author of “Owning New Jersey: Historic Tales of War, Property Disputes & the Pursuit of Happiness.” Mike asked Joe to talk about tidelands issues, a particular concern in New Jersey since the State of New Jersey has rights to the land not only currently flowed by the tide, but formerly...2023-11-2128 min

Title NerdsSeason 2, Episode 4Our special guest for Episode 4 of our second season of Title Nerds was land title attorney Lance Pomerantz of Land Title Law. An attorney who provides expert consultant services to the title insurance and real estate industry, Lance shared some very interesting war stories from his “accidental career.” He has researched land grants back to the Royal Charter, as well as underwater land grants and title disputes involving numerous New York beachfront properties. Co-host Michael O’Donnell asked Lance about some of the thorniest chains of title Lance has been involved in, some of which had him sounding more like a gritty...2023-06-2336 min

Title NerdsSeason 2, Episode 3Surveyor Keith Ludwig, PLS was the special guest for this episode of Title Nerds, in which he discussed with co-hosts Mike O’Donnell and Bethany Abele his experience of over 42 years in the industry. With a specialty in researching ancient deeds and surveys, Keith shared some of the more fascinating matters he has encountered while conducting land surveys, including serving as a surveyor for a defendant in Atlantic County where title had gone back and forth between the same two families numerous times over 200 years. He noted that a major misconception about surveyors is that it is their responsibility to dete...2023-04-2431 min

ABI PodcastProposed UCC Amendments Aimed at Virtual Currencies and Other Digital Assets - Ep. 247The second TechBytes podcast features ABI Emerging Industries and Technology Committee communications manager Tara J. Schellhorn of Riker, Danzig LLP (Morristown, N.J.) talking with Prof. Juliet M. Moringiello, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Widener University Commonwealth Law School (Harrisburg, Pa.). Schellhorn and Moringiello discuss digital assets and proposed Uniform Commercial Code amendments aimed at bringing the (UCC) into the digital age by providing commercial law rules for a new category of transactions: the transfer and leveraging of virtual currencies and certain other digital assets.2023-04-1331 min

Title NerdsSeason 2, Episode 2For our second episode of the new season, Title Nerds co-hosts Mike O’Donnell and Bethany Abele interviewed Steve Gottheim, General Counsel of the American Land Title Association (“ALTA”). Steve discussed some of the primary issues of concern to ALTA and its members, including housing recession possibilities, public policy issues around increased access to affordable housing and, generating the most conversation, real estate and wire fraud. Steve noted that ALTA is deeply involved in providing education and assistance to title insurance and real estate professionals to help avoid scams and to identify money laundering scenarios. In addition, ALTA provides a host of e...2023-02-0927 min

SideBar AdvisorsTara Schellhorn: Award-winning Female Partner at Riker Danzig LLPSend us a textMeet Tara Schellhorn, recognized as "Lawyer of the Year" in the Newark region Bankruptcy Litigation area for 2023 by Best Lawyers in America®. Tara is a female Partner at Riker Danzig LLP in the Bankruptcy & Corporate Restructuring Group. Her career path began with an English major that secured an internship in corporate public affairs at Wyeth, where her duties often overlapped with the legal department in litigation, ultimately sparking the grounds for her career in law today. Fresh out of law school, Tara was hired as an associate in bankruptcy at Riker Danzig LLP, d...2023-01-3138 min

Title NerdsSeason 2, Episode 1Title Nerds is excited to begin its second season of exploring title insurance and real estate litigation issues that Riker Danzig attorneys see in our practice. In this first episode of the new season, co-hosts Mike O’Donnell and Bethany Abele enjoyed drawing on insights from one of our esteemed Of Counsel, New Jersey title insurance guru Vince Sharkey. Vince provided entertaining conversation about his journey into and through the title insurance world, and some of the significant cases and challenges in his practice, including recommendations for lawyers who represent title insurance companies as to how to effectively approach cases and...2022-08-0140 min

Talk Ten TuesdaysBeware: Modifier 25 Could be DOAThe Current Procedural Terminology ® (CPT) definition of Modifier 25 is that it is used to report an evaluation and management (E&M) service on a day when another service was provided to the patient by the same physician or other qualified healthcare professional. Think of Modifier 25 as a “protective” modifier when minor procedures or services are performed on the same date as an E&M office visit. If both services are medically necessary, both are paid, if the Modifier 25 has been appended to the E&M. Recently, though, several payers, including Horizon Blue Cross in New Jersey, Horizon Medica...2022-06-2127 min

The Knowledge Group PodcastsFINRA Arbitration - Before the Show #247Webcast URL: https://knowledgewebcasts.com/know-portfolio/finra-arbitration-2022-cle/ The FINRA arbitration landscape has been continuously reshaped with rule changes, changes in applicable law, changes in format, and new litigation trends. Practitioners in the space should keep themselves abreast of the emerging updates. Join securities arbitration experts Rebecca A. Beers (RumbergerKirk) and Heather B. Middleton (Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti LLP) as they provide a comprehensive discussion of the latest developments. Speakers, among other things, will offer practice tips in this ever-changing legal landscape. For any more information please click on the webcast URL at the top of this description.2022-06-0703 min

The Compliance GuyTCG Season 3 Episode 17 #TerryTuesday with Special Guest Brianna J. SantolliBrianna J. Santolli, Esq. of Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti LLP joined Terry A Fletcher BS CPC CEMC CCC CCS CCSP CMC ACS-CA SCP-CA, QMPM and Sean on a special episode of TCG / #TerryTuesday to discuss the updates of the #nosurprisesact...There is a ton to unpack in this episode and there's no doubt things get a bit sideways with Sean driving!2022-05-311h 02

Talk Ten TuesdaysBehavioral Health – To Screen or Not to Screen?Behavioral health can be confusing. To screen or not to screen, what are the questions? Joining us this Tuesday for the lead story is a new panelist, Christine Hall. Christine Hall is the CEO and Senior Consultant for Stirling Global Solutions, LLC. She has 30+ years of healthcare administration and information management experience. Christine is a subject matter expert in compliance, specialty coding, auditing, risk adjustment, telehealth and reimbursement. During the next live edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays, Christine will educate us on who can and should provide behavioral health screenings. She will also go o...2022-05-2430 min

Talk Ten TuesdaysUS Government Accountability Office: Holding CMS AccountableWith telehealth usage during the pandemic—up from 2.1 million services in 2019, to 32.5 million services from March 2020-February 2021—the GAO (US Government Accountability Office) realized that Medicaid hasn’t collected or assessed any data on the quality-of-care beneficiaries received from telehealth services.The GAO now recommends that they do so. Given concerns the GAO has raised about the quality of care provided via telehealth, this beneficiary data is crucial. It’s also consistent with how CMS has encouraged states to use data on quality of care to identify disparities in health care and target opportunities for improvement to advance...2022-05-1728 min

Talk Ten TuesdaysOne Million COVID-19 Deaths to Create 360,000 GrieversA tragic milestone is about to be reached, bringing with it the potential to wreak havoc on America’s crumbling mental health infrastructure: the United States is poised to record one million deaths caused by the deadly coronavirus pandemic. Collateral damage created by these deaths could likely be compounded by hundreds of thousands grieving the loss of loved ones and suffering from the new DSM-official condition: prolonged grief disorder. The number of potential grievers could be approximately 360,000 individuals – a staggering number, whose grieving could overwhelm an already frail mental health system. Providing context and commentary to thi...2022-04-2628 min

Title NerdsSeason 1, Episode 9Title Nerds co-hosts Mike O’Donnell and Bethany Abele welcomed two partners from our Environmental Practice In Episode 9, Alexa Richman-La Londe and Steve Senior. Alexa and Steve discussed the hot real estate market in New Jersey for commercial/industrial properties, which are frequently environmentally impaired and require remediation. This led to an interesting conversation about the use and mechanics of NJDEP’s Deed Notices that get recorded in land records, including a case where a property owner refused to consent to a Deed Notice (Cozzoli Machine Company v. Crown Real Estate Holdings, Inc., Docket No. A-1733-19, App. Div., Dec. 7, 2021). The dis...2022-04-2550 min

Title NerdsSeason 1, Episode 8In Episode 8 Riker Danzig welcomed two professionals from Qualia, a digital real estate closing platform that is changing the industry. Lyman Hopper, a long-time title insurance pro, and Tim Calandro, a senior account executive, spoke with hosts Mike O’Donnell and Bethany Abele about why title and escrow companies are turning to digital platforms to better serve their clients. They explained that, in addition to helping professionals be more effective and productive in accomplishing the numerous tasks associated with closings, the all-in-one platform can make the closing process less stressful by providing automated property data retrieval and personalized dashboards to trac...2022-03-2138 min

Counsel30. Mel Interviews Her Dream Guest and Gary Vee's Lawyer, Marc Yudkin, COO & GC , VaynerX & VaynerMediaMarc Yudkin is currently the Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel of VaynerX, LLC - the parent company of various international digital marketing and advertising businesses including VaynerMedia, The Gallery Media Group, VaynerProductions and Tracer Labs, LLC.As Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel for all of these businesses, Marc is responsible for all of the Company’s global operations, acquisitions, employee relations issues and other matters relating to the overall general operation of a 900-person global agency while also ensuring that services provided adhere to the many regulations and guidelines promulgated by governmental authorities and other self-regulatory bodies. In January of...2022-02-2743 min

Title NerdsSeason 1, Episode 7Episode 7 features one of Riker Danzig’s impressive retired judges, the Hon. Travis Francis, who was Assignment Judge for Middlesex County, Superior Court of New Jersey before joining Riker Danzig. Judge Francis is now an active mediator and discovery master in the Firm’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice. Co-Host Bethany Abele interviews Judge Francis about some of the intriguing title insurance and real estate cases that came before him when he was on the bench, including issues of quiet title, specific performance and adverse possession. Co-Host Michael O’Donnell joins Bethany and Judge Francis in the discussion, which headed “into the weeds,”...2022-02-1433 min

Title NerdsSeason 1, Episode 6Title Nerds hosts Mike O’Donnell and Bethany Abele welcome title insurance industry professional Sam Shiel to the podcast for Episode Six. Sam Shiel of Madison Title Agency has a conversation with Mike about his early interest in title insurance and how he got started in the industry, and what is required of a title agent. Sam explains what it really means to be an independent nationwide title agent, as well as differences in markets, and then talks about the services beyond title searches and issuances of policies that may be provided by some title agents. The conversation also moves into...2022-01-0443 min

The Managing Partners Podcast: Law Firm Business PodcastMental Health Is A Priority With Aaron Strauss Of A.Y. Strauss LLC.Kevin Daisey chatted with Aaron Strauss, the Managing Partner at A.Y. Strauss LLC. He has been honored as a Rising Star leading practitioner in commercial real estate law for the past several years by Super Lawyers Magazine™️, an accolade reserved for only the top 2.5% percent of attorneys nationwide. Prior to A.Y. Strauss, Aaron practiced for several years at the international law firm of Kelley, Drye & Warren LLP, headquartered in New York and at Riker, Danzig, Scherer, Hyland & Perretti LLP, based in Morristown, New Jersey. Learn from his expertise and what trends are helping grow his firm on this epis...2021-12-2321 min

Title NerdsSeason 1, Episode 5In Episode Five of Title Nerds, hosts Mike O’Donnell and Bethany Abele are joined by partners from Riker Danzig’s Bankruptcy & Corporate Restructuring Practice, along with Riker Danzig attorney Mike Crowley from the Title Insurance team. First, Bankruptcy Chair Joe Schwartz explains how liens and mortgages pass through bankruptcy. Partner Tara Schellhorn next joins Joe to address avoidance action-type claims, where Mike and Bethany questioned them about preferences as a way for Trustees to recoup payments and property interests, and best defenses against preferences. In a wide-ranging discussion, Joe and Tara provided insights on trustees being a hypothetical lien holder...2021-12-0240 min

Title NerdsSeason 1, Episode 4Partners from Riker Danzig’s Real Estate Practice join Title Nerds hosts Mike O’Donnell and Bethany Abele for the fourth episode, along with fellow Riker Danzig attorney Kevin Hakansson. In the first segment, Mike and Bethany have a conversation with Real Estate partners Josh Greenfield and Jim Maggio about working with title insurance underwriters on big commercial closings. Along with discussing Schedule B exceptions, recommended ALTA endorsements and leasehold policies, Josh and Jim share some thorny title issues they’ve resolved with good title underwriters. They stress how critical the service component is for title companies as a differentiating quality...2021-11-0541 min

Title NerdsSeason 1, Episode 3Title Nerds hosts Mike O’Donnell and Bethany Abele welcome special guest Mike Ham, the “Coolest Guy in Title Insurance,” to the podcast, along with fellow Riker Danzig attorney Desiree McDonald. In the first segment, the Title Nerds hosts interview Mike Ham, who is a commercial real estate title insurance sales executive with Fidelity National Title Group and hosts a wildly popular podcast, “The Morning Spotlight Podcast,” in which he brings on interesting guests in real estate and other industries. Mike talks about how he started in the title insurance industry, what sparked his podcast, how he helps his clients, and what it...2021-09-2933 min

Title NerdsSeason 1, Episode 2Title Nerds hosts Mike O’Donnell and Bethany Abele welcome fellow Riker Danzig attorneys Ron Ahrens and Mike Crowley to the podcast. In the first segment, Mike O’Donnell and Ron Ahrens talk about coverage investigations in the context of title insurance, drawing on some of their experiences in uncovering fraud and collusion, as well as issues in more routine fact-based investigations. They cover the analysis of covered claims, including what issues are probed, the Eight Corners Doctrine and beyond, privilege issues when a challenge to title is being litigated at the same time a coverage investigation is ongoing, and commo...2021-07-2930 min

RISK-E-Business PodcastSpotlight on New Jersey’s Environmental Justice Law – What it Means for Our IndustryEnvironmental justice (EJ) has become a force of change in our industry with major implications for developers and investors. While every state has some kind of EJ policy, New Jersey’s new landmark legislation is the first of its kind with real teeth and its implementation will be closely watched by various stakeholders. Guest host Mary Ann Grena Manley welcomes guest New Jersey environmental attorney Matt Karmel with Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti LLP, to explain the nuts and bolts of the new law, what industries it will impact, and its broader implications for businesses and projects nationwide. 2021-05-1731 min

Title NerdsSeason 1, Episode 1Title Nerds hosts Mike O’Donnell and Bethany Abele are joined by fellow Riker Danzig attorneys Mary Kay Roberts and Mike Crowley. In this inaugural episode, Mike O’Donnell talks to Mike Crowley about the Fifth Circuit’s Hall v. Old Republic case (990 F.3d 933, 5th Cir. Mar. 10, 2021) concerning coverage for mechanic’s liens, and then turns to changes in ALTA’s Owner and Lender Policies. Bethany Abele and Mary Kay Roberts discuss New Jersey’s new “Daniel’s Law” (A1649 P.L.2020 c.125)/S3453 P.L. 2021, c.24) protecting the disclosure of certain personal information of judges, prosecutors and some others, as well as t...2021-05-0344 min

Spill The InkManaging partner series: Aaron Y. Strauss of A.Y. StraussAaron Y. Strauss is the Founder and Managing Partner of A.Y. Strauss, a firm that provides legal counsel for commercial transactions and litigation in the areas of commercial real estate, construction contracting, labor and employment, bankruptcy and franchising law. At A.Y. Strauss, Aaron is responsible for establishing the firm’s long-term strategy and vision. He oversees a team of nationally recognized attorneys who deliver top-level professional work and personalized, highly responsive service. Before founding A.Y. Strauss, Aaron practiced at Kelley, Drye & Warren LLP and Riker, Danzig, Scherer, Hyland & Perretti LLP. Aaron was recognized as a “...2021-04-2925 min