SHORT SALES • LOAN MODIFICATIONS • SHORT PAYOFFS/SETTLEMENTS • DEFICIENCY SETTLEMENTS

Our Team

Jill Pogach Michaels, Esq.

Jill Pogach Michaels, founder and partner of both The Law Offices of Jill Pogach Michaels and Michaels Title and Escrow, began her legal career as a litigator for one of the region’s most prestigious law firms. She left the firm to join the largest title company in Maryland. She quickly rose in the ranks and under a year was promoted to Vice President and Manager of two offices in Bethesda, Maryland. One of these offices was inside a real estate broker with over 170 agents. Jill founded Michaels Title & Escrow in June of 2007 to exercise her vision of a full service title company. Jill's years in private practice, depth of experience, perspective and wisdom have given her a seasoned advantage. Ms. Pogach Michaels graduated with Honors from The George Washington School of Law in DC. She is licensed to practice law in Maryland, DC, NJ and the US District Court, 4th Circuit. The Law Offices now have four attorneys in the practice, including a Spanish speaking attorney, and a large and growing support staff of paralegals and assistants. Ms. Michaels and her firm were featured in the September 2009 Maryland Bar Journal for Excellence in Foreclosure Prevention and her participation in the Maryland Pro Bono Foreclosure Prevention Project. Jill and her team of attorneys have successfully negotiated hundreds of short sales. They also have had tremendous success in loan modifications, Motions to Stay, Exceptions to Foreclosures that have already occurred.

Jill is also recognized as a five year Sterling Contributor to RPAC (the Realtor Political Action Committee) and has been a proud Member and active participant in The Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors (GCAAR) for many years. In December, she received the GCAAR Affiliate of the Year award for her valuable teaching, training and support to the Association and the entire real estate community. She currently serves on the Contracts and Clauses Committee, RPAC and the Rookie Society. She has served on the Grievance Committee, Contracts & Clauses Committee, RPAC Committee and the Rookie Society (Chair 2008). She currently serves on the Contracts and Clauses Committee, RPAC and the Rookie Society. She teaches for GCAAR, the Camelot Real Estate Academy, the GCAAR Summit (2008 & 2009) and for over twenty real estate brokerage houses in the region. Her dynamic seminars and continuing educations classes are frequently "Sold Out."

Ms. Pogach Michaels is recognized by and is a member of many professional organizations including the American Bar Association, the Maryland, DC, New Jersey Bar Associations, and the Federal Bar Association. The law firm reaches out to the community through pro bono efforts on a frequent and consistent basis. It is Ms. Pogach Michaels’ belief that she needs to help others in a meaningful way and that the best gifts in life only come from giving to others. She does this by making regular donations to individuals in need, non-profit organizations, and through free legal work for destitute individuals. In addition to her non-profit work on the board, she frequently serves as in house counsel for several non-profit religious organizations on a wide range of legal issues.

Michelle Adams, Esq.

Michelle Adams joined the Law Offices of Jill Pogach Michaels in 2009. Her law practice focuses on Foreclosure Defense including exceptions to foreclosure, motions to stay and loss mitigation strategies such as loan modifications, short sales and deeds-in lieu. She has closed over 150 short sales and helped many homeowners maintain their dream of homeownership.

Michelle also provides direct assistance to pro bono clients through the Maryland Foreclosure Prevention Pro Bono Project and is Of Counsel for several housing counseling agencies throughout the state of Maryland. She was recognized for her exceptional work on the foreclosure pro bono project in the September 2009 Maryland Law Journal.

Michelle received her BA in Sociology from Brandeis University and her JD from American University. Prior to joining the law offices, she was an Attorney with Arnold and Porter for 8 years where she was part of the product liability litigation practice concentrating on class actions and complex litigation.

Melissa Giove Brault, Esq.

Melissa Giove Brault has been in the practice of law for 19 years, five of which involved handling complex litigation in state, federal, and bankruptcy courts. As an attorney at Tydings & Rosenberg, LLP, Melissa prepared and successfully tried personal injury cases, complex contract and employment disputes, bankruptcy litigation, and product liability actions. Melissa also represented the City of Baltimore in a major relocation dispute under HUD regulations. Melissa moved into the appellate arena for the next decade, authoring numerous appellate briefs in both state and federal court, with a focus on medical malpractice and contract disputes. As an attorney at the Law Offices of Jill Pogach Michaels, Melissa’s energies have turned to the area of foreclosure defense, where she negotiates loan modifications and short sales, prepares motions to stay foreclosure, argues exceptions to the ratification of foreclosure sales, and employs other loss mitigation strategies for her clients.

Melissa received her BA in Political Science and Political Philosophy from Duke University and her J.D. from Washington & Lee University, where she was a member of the Moot Court team.

Valerie DuBois

Valerie DuBois has been successfully negotiating loan modifications for 2 years. Her significant real estate and mortgage experience positioned her well to understand the best way to navigate her client through the loan modification process. Valerie has 12 years experience in the mortgage business; 8 of which she ran her own company. Her experience includes every aspect of mortgage loans from perfect credit programs to niche products only available through a handful of banks nationwide. Valerie’s compassion for her clients and her never-take-no-for-an-answer attitude is shown time and again in the hundreds of loan mods she has been able to complete. She has taken loan modification negotiation to another level in dealing with ALL banks nationwide on behalf of individuals who are experiencing financial hardship. Valerie’s tenacity, work ethic, and experience put her among the most successful negotiators nationwide. Valerie wants all of her clients to know that they are in great hands when they hire her.

Greg Joseph

Greg Joseph has been negotiating short sales for the Law Offices of Jill Pogach Michaels for 3 years. His understanding of real estate coupled with his recognized negotiating abilities has enabled him to successfully negotiate several bank approvals during the short sale transaction. His strengths in working with real estate agents and their clients is apparent as they navigate through the complex short sale process. Greg comes to our firm with thirty-six years of residential real estate experience. He has been recognized as developing some of the most successful real estate offices and agents in the country. He served as Senior Vice President for two national real estate firms. He is recognized as a leading authority in the art of negotiating and is sought after as a lecturer for his seminars on negotiating a successful real estate transaction.

Anna Nuñez, Esq.

Anna Nuñez is an attorney at the Law Offices of Jill Pogach Michaels, where she focuses on foreclosure defense, including short sale negotiations, foreclosure intervention, pre-foreclosure strategies and loss mitigation. Anna holds a bachelor’s degree in politics and a certificate in Latin American studies from Princeton University and a J.D. from American University Washington College of Law.

She has served as a volunteer attorney at Hogar Immigration Services, Catholic Charities in Falls Church, VA. Anna also served as a legal intern to Senator Kennedy on the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and as law clerk at the District of Columbia Public Defender Services. For three years she gained experience as a legal assistant at Arnold & Porter in high stakes litigation cases, serving clients in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Anna is a member of the MD Bar Association, the Hispanic Bar Association of D.C., a board member of the Latino Law Students’ Association at American University Washington College of Law, and the Congressional Hispanic Staffers Association.