Overview
Kathy McLeroy has extensive experience resolving disputes as a litigator, mediator, and arbitrator. As a trial lawyer, she has substantial experience representing creditors in disputes with debtors in all forums, including state court, federal court, bankruptcy court, and in arbitration proceedings. Kathy regularly arbitrates and mediates disputes arising from contract disputes between health care providers. She works with judgment holders to enforce and collect large commercial judgments, both domestic and international.
She also represents commercial banks, mortgage holders, property owners, title insurers, and real estate developers in real property disputes and mortgage foreclosures. Clients seek her guidance on matters involving receivership law, and she serves as a real estate receiver and counsel for receivers.
Kathy earned her MBA and worked as a bank loan officer prior to attending law school. This experience informs her understanding of her banking clients’ perspectives, processes, and business needs and goals, particularly when handling disputes, collections, and foreclosures.
In 2004, Kathy was certified by the Supreme Court of Florida as a Circuit Civil and County Court Mediator. For more than 14 years she has also been certified to serve as a mediator in matters pending before the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida and the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida.
She mediates a variety of commercial disputes including commercial foreclosures, contract disputes , title disputes, and bankruptcy disputes. She is also qualified by the Supreme Court of Florida to serve as a Court-Appointed Arbitrator.
Kathy is co-manager of the Tampa national trial practice group and prior chair of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee.
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Pro Bono
Kathy has represented numerous individuals in pro bono matters, including landlord/tenant disputes, mortgage foreclosure actions, consumer matters, and collection matters.
For example, Kathy defended a mortgage foreclosure action against a 60-year-old grandmother who was the head of a household consisting of her daughter, her intellectually disabled adult son and two grandchildren. The lender, an individual who had purchased the mortgage and note from a governmental entity had begun charging excessive fees that were not provided for in the loan instruments. The lender began applying the mortgage payments to these fees rather than to principal and interest. The lender declared the loan in default and commenced a foreclosure proceeding. After 13 months of litigation, Kathy had the loan, which was at all times current but for the excessive fees, reinstated.