Robert Maddox has a national practice for mortgage companies and a regional practice for title insurance companies. He presents nationally on the subject of title insurance and real estate matters. He is a Faculty Fellow for the Mortgage Bankers Association, and when he is not practicing law, he is teaching law as an adjunct professor at the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University.



One of the first cases I worked on when I graduated from law school was a closing attorney defalcation - he took over 1.3 million from real estate closings he handled. He was suppose to pay off the prior residential mortgage so the new home owners' mortgage company would be in first lien position on the property. Instead, the money was wired into his account and he made the monthly payment but pocketed the remainder of the money. It was a baptism by fire for me.



Some of my most influential teachers throughout my life were lawyers or studied legal history. They were people of character and I wanted to emulate them.



Litigation management. Being able to identify the main issues in a lawsuit and bring together the right team members throughout our firm's offices in order to produce the most cost efficient result our clients' desire.



Catching an adverse witness - in trial, in deposition or through written discovery. When another person or party makes an allegation or takes a position - making them recommit to that position on the record, then showing document after document and illustrating they either lied, didn't tell the truth or didn't admit they received money. They either become combative or give up - the case settles and all your hard work pays off because our client wins - at that moment, when you have caught them, it is hard to beat that emotion.



Enjoy what you do for a living.



Usually any of the stories associated with mortgage fraud groups are a great background for best sellers - they are more radical and so far out of bounds with reality it makes you wonder.

However, a case I had about five years ago takes the cake for the strangest thing that ever happened to me. An unidentified man called and started telling me about a case and asking me questions. I stopped him, asked him his name - he just gave me his name and said he was a local lawyer - nothing else and I told him I would call him back later. After the phone call, I went down to talk with one of my colleagues and asked him if he ever heard of this lawyer. He looked at me funny and said, "Yes, he is the general counsel for the bank, what did you do?" (The bank was the firm's largest overall client but I didn't work with them.) So I raced back to my office called him back, apologized for not recognizing him and said I would handle the case, whatever it was because I hadn't received the file yet.

The next phone call was within five minutes from my title insurance client, who told me the case involved a senior bank officer's parent's home, and to handle it whatever it takes.

I received and read the file. There was already a meeting scheduled at the closing attorneys office. I went to it and assured everyone I would do everything I could to resolve the title problem, which was a large boundary overlap with the senior bank officer's parent's home and their next door neighbor and the prospective purchaser. At the meeting, there was yelling, language barriers and huge cultural misunderstandings. I suggested the neighbor and prospective purchaser leave with me (we took separate cars) and go view the overlap.

We pulled into the neighbors' drive way. I saw the neighbor walk around his big van but couldn't see him, so I quickly followed him up the hill and around the van. His back was to me and I called his name, and he spun around and urinated on my shoe. It was an accident but that didn't matter. The situation was settled in a few days, the closing went through, everyone was happy with the result and the senior bank officer is now a good friend and a client. The shoes were thrown away.



Work ethic.



My great-grandfather. He was the greatest man I ever knew, I lived with him growing up but he passed away when I was 15 and I always wanted to be able to talk with him again.



Robert Penn Warren's "All the King's Men" (the book)



Spend time with my wife, Sharon and three children, Morgan (9), Richmond (7) and Henry (3). They are what make the world go around for me.



I work with Pathways: A Woman's Way Home that works with homeless women providing them a temporary home and education to help lift them out of homelessness. As for a single event, it would be playing Santa Claus for children at the Children's Hospital - providing a distraction and toys to children who can't leave their hospital treatments - that is personally fulfilling and puts the holiday season in perspective.

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