On a recent installment of the “What the M” Podcast, co-hosts Stephen Hladik, Principal with the Hladik, Onorato & Federman LLP, and Kent McPhail, Founding/Senior Partner with McPhail Sanchez LLC, welcomed Gina Gallutia, Executive Membership Director of the Five Star Institute, and David Mulkay, Director of Legal League to the program to discuss trends in the default servicing industry, and upcoming industry events.
Based in Dallas, Texas, the Five Star Institute is a national trade association supporting the U.S. residential mortgage and real estate market, through membership groups, publishing, conferences, education services and strategic events. As Executive Director of Memberships for the Five Star Institute, Gallutia brings decades of experience in education, marketing, and client services to her role. The role allows her to use all of her expertise to take great care of members by providing new educational content and continuous value to the membership.
“I have learned so much from listening to ‘What the M’ about the players in the industry, what’s on the horizon, and how to think through next steps,” said Gallutia of her appearance on the podcast. “It was a joy to see the podcast magic from the inside and give back a little of what I’ve gained.”
Mulkay serves as Director of Legal League, one of the trade associations under the Five Star umbrella. Legal League is comprised of member law firms spread out across the U.S., positioned to drive progress in the mortgage servicing industry. Mulkay brings more than 20 years of experience with financial services law firms and mortgage banks to his role in strengthening the reach of Legal League’s firms and associates through exposure, publications, networking, and training/education.
“Having known Steve and Kent through the industry and being well-acquainted with their firms, it was a true honor to be invited to join ‘What the M,’ particularly to have my perspective sought on the state of our industry,” said Mulkay. “While their legal expertise is exceptional, even unrivaled in some areas, getting to know them personally was an equal privilege … they are first-class professionals in every respect.”
In addition to serving as co-hosts of the podcast, both Hladik and McPhail are also active members of Legal League, with Hladik serving as Chair of the Advisory Council, and McPhail as an Advisory Council Member.
Formerly Deputy Attorney General in charge of the Harrisburg office of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Consumer Protection, Hladik brings a range of experience to the table. A graduate of the Pennsylvania State University, Hladik obtained his law degree from Widener University, with honors, where he served as Internal Managing Editor of the Law Review. Hladik gained significant expertise in lending law enforcement while serving in the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, handling UDAP, FDCPA, RESPA, and TILA cases.
McPhail graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. He received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1988. After graduating, he became in-house counsel for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Mississippi, after which he practiced with a private creditor law firm for three years. In 1994, McPhail became one of the founding partners of the law firm of Dumas & McPhail, which underwent a name change in 2023 to McPhail Sanchez LLC.
Combining their decades of experience representing secured creditors Hladik and McPhail each brings their own unique perspective to “What the M.”
“With this Yin and Yang, we hope to bring an entertaining and informative approach to the industry and those who make it hum,” McPhail said.
Throughout episode 52 of “What the M,” Gallutia and Mulkay discussed the Five Star Institute, its many offerings, and the benefits of membership to its trade groups like Legal League. The two discussed Five Star’s conferences and in-person training sessions, highlighting the upcoming 2025 Five Star Conference, set for September 29-October 1 at the Omni Dallas Hotel.
“A lot of folks do not know that we are constantly doing webinars … we did six last year,” said Mulkay of the offerings presented by Legal League. “We are continually putting out publications … we do four quarterly newsletters, and within those, we have publications as well. We are doing our events, and then recently, we have gotten a lot of traction with our on-site training. We are taking our legal aid member attorney groups and firms, and going on-site to servicers and either doing a certification program or an a la carte program as well. We are constantly moving outside of just the Five Star Conference and the Legal League Spring Servicer Summit.”
In terms of discussing current headwinds and trends in the industry, Gallutia explained, “The industry is at a crux. But what are we going to do about it? How can we help? How can we help each other? That is the bright spot that I see … the people who are the problem solvers, who are out there collaborating to make things better.”
Mulkay added, “We are finding practical solutions and bundling them up, and I do not think that was done 20 years ago. That’s what I truly think is a bright spot of this industry is that we have lived through a whole lot of minutiae, but we’ve come out of it, improved upon it, and we really often don’t make the same mistake twice, which I don’t think there’s a lot of industries out there that can bank on.”
Click here for more on Gina Gallutia and David Mulkay’s appearance on the “What the M” podcast.
