15 Cottage Avenue, Fourth Floor
Quincy, MA 02169
Telephone: (617) 773-6662
Fax: (617) 479-9042

 

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Employee Spotlight: Debbie Finley


May 4, 2004

One of the first employees to join the law firm, Graeber Davis & Cantwell (GDC), Deborah Finley began working for partner Jay Davis in 1996. That year Debbie relocated to Plymouth, Massachussetts after having spent several years in Louisiana.

Debbie began her law career with Jay as a real estate paralegal, assisting with various aspects of real estate closings. After seven years, she has become an expert in real estate closings and is today GDC’s senior paralegal responsible for overseeing closings. Debbie and the real estate team close loans for several banks and mortage lenders. She has mastered loan documentation and is equipped with the best interpersonal skills in the business.

“Debbie has been an instrumental in the growth of our real estate business,” said managing partner, Jay Davis. “She is truly customer-focused and enjoys working with brokers and customers, as they enjoy working with her.”

Indeed, Debbie’s favorite part of the job is dealing with people and watching the business grow. Real estate closings are an important part of GDC’s business. When Debbie began in 1996, the firm handled about 35 closings. In just the first 5 months of 2003, GDC has orders for more than 1800 real estate loans.

“We’ve had wonderful relationships with the people we deal with,” said Debbie. “Our staff has great respect for the people we work for and hope our clients feel the same way. Our goal is to help people not be so apprehensive about dealing with law firms. We provide our customers with a good understanding of the closing process, and as a result they are more relaxed about transactions that could otherwise be daunting.”

Debbie stresses that it is helpful to deal with a law firm you trust and who has an understanding of your individual situation. It can even save you money. Debbie sites refinancing as an example. She says people can save money when they refinance their homes using the same law firm that closed their prior home loan, because the firm has already conducted the title search and has related information on file. If customers would like to choose GDC for a closing and work with Debbie personally, they can do so by asking their lender to check to see if GDC is listed on the bank’s list of approved attorneys.

“It’s smart to have GDC close a home loan,” said Debbie. “Anytime an individual has a real estate closing for their primary residence with GDC, the GDC attorney will provide a Declaration of Homestead at no charge. This is something Jay Davis implemented this practice with his first closing.” (A Homestead is a statutory protection for owners of real property that limits the ability of creditors to reach one’s home. The Homestead protects against attachment, levy, execution or sale by unsecured creditors of an individual’s real property up to three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000.00)).

In her spare time, Debbie enjoys spending time with her three children, friends, and extended family. She enjoys golf and traveling. But as she says, “I love what I do and get a lot of enjoyment out of my work at GDC. Therefore, I spend a lot of time doing just that.”



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