As manager and counsel of Liberty Title Agency, Jody Fay balances her interests in law and real estate

As manager and counsel of Liberty Title Agency's Westchester Branch, Jody Fay has discovered a dynamic way to balance her interests in law and real estate that keeps her fully engaged. Fay is an active member and former president of the Westchester Women's Bar Association, vice president of the Women's Bar Association of the State of New York, and a member of the Queens County Women's Bar Association. She has taught in the paralegal program at Westchester Community College and at the Steven Newman Real Estate Institute at Baruch College in Manhattan. Helping other professionals in the business get their certificates at the Institute strongly appealed to Fay. "If I can train more people to be better title people, it's better for the industry as a whole and for the consumer in particular," she said. What Fay has found especially satisfying has been volunteering at Westchester Residential Opportunities, a not-for-profit organization that assists women and the elderly in finding affordable housing. She helped provide first-time home buyers with "Real Estate 101" training, telling them how to look for a home and deal with lenders, and also representing them for free at the closing. "That's my way to do pro bono in real estate, which is not so easy!" Fay said. A self-described "salesperson as well as an attorney as well as a manager," Fay likes to "handle it all." With more than 16 years experience in real estate and title insurance, she has been involved with both commercial and residential transactions, including a $58 million refinancing of Pace University (where she got her law degree) as well as power plants and warehouses. Although she knows that every transaction comes with its own nuances, Fay firmly believes that the level of customer service can and must remain the same. "I am delighted to be part of a team that handles the small residential purchase with the same detail and care as the multi-million dollar commercial transaction," she said proudly. Born in Springfield, Mass., the 41 year old attorney studied political science at Springfield College, where she graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. "Political science was the closest thing to pre-law at my college," she said. "I always knew I was going to go to law school." She had intended to go into international women's rights but since she'd done internships at real estate firms during college, she chose to pursue that legal avenue wholeheartedly once she had a J.D. from Pace University Law School in Westchester. "I ended up in real estate," Fay said, "and I ended up loving it." For Fay, Liberty Title Agency has been a perfect fit. She knows that it's a "difficult time for our industry," but she has the utmost confidence in Liberty Title's co-founder and president Brian Madden and executive vice president, co-founder, and general counsel Al Yorio. She first remembers being impressed by their attitude while they were recruiting her. "I loved their forward thinking," she said. Working at the Westchester branch has been ideal for her. "They give you a lot freedom, and they try to let the entrepreneurial spirit of a person bloom, which works great for me," Fay said. "They're always there when you need them, but they let you take your vision and combine it with theirs and do what you can." And for Fay, matching Liberty Title Agency's superlative record of customer service comes naturally: "You've always got to be in touch with the client and make sure the closing is perfect-from start to finish with all the details," she said. That's the challenge she loves to meet the most.