“Genuine, authentic, compassionate,
intelligent and insightful.”
Transforming Dispute Resolution
Throughout her 36-year litigation career, Bonnie Yvette Hochman, Esq. has had a passion for attracting alternative dispute resolution resolutions to complex problems and has mediated, arbitrated and settled many hundreds of cases.
As a certified mediator since 2012, Bonnie has also routinely been retained to mediate disputes and has actively served as a mediator in private mediations as well as for the District of Columbia courts.
Bonnie chaired the ADR Practice at Krooth & Altman LLP and initiated and co-chaired the ADR practice at Morris, Manning & Martin LLP. Bonnie’s experience dates back to the mid 1980s when she started her legal career as a legal intern for US District Judge William Hoeveler of the Southern District of Florida. Having worked on numerous high profile cases with Judge Hoeveler, Bonnie was drawn by his patience, and his interest in the thoughts of his law clerks as well as how he treated the team even under tremendous stress.
She took her first job in Big Law in the litigation group at Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft where her mentors included one of the first female partners. Despite frequently working long hours, seven days a week, it was there that she developed her desire to integrate training, mentorship and attention to detail in everything she did later in her career. She handled her first mediation and arbitration in the late 1980’s and found herself quickly drawn to alternative dispute resolution processes. At CWT, Bonnie worked on some of the biggest cases in the country at the time and learned legal and personal skills that she draws upon today.
Bonnie continued her impressive career at Krooth & Altman LLP where she chaired the Litigation and Risk Management Group for twenty-one years and garnered extensive experience with the real estate finance industry. In 2013, she joined the Atlanta based firm of Morris Manning & Martin and was tasked with helping to build a litigation group in the DC Office. At MMM, Bonnie served in nearly every leadership position including serving as Chair of the Litigation Group and co-chair of the ADR Group, and served on the firm’s Executive, Management, Strategic Planning, COVID Task Force, and DEI Committees. Throughout her time at Krooth and MMM she mentored and trained scores of employees not only at the respective law firms but also on behalf of clients.
Bonnie’s robust 36-year career as a litigator at several major AMJUR 100 and AMJUR 200 DC, NYC and Atlanta based firms afforded her the opportunity to litigate hundreds of cases throughout the federal and state courts of the United States including appellate cases and even a few appeals to the United States Supreme Court.
Throughout her law firm experiences, Bonnie has become a leader in the mortgage finance community, and has an unparalleled knowledge of real estate finance matters. Because of the depth of her knowledge in these arenas, her advice and guidance is routinely sought both prior to litigation for risk management strategies and litigation avoidance as well as to mediate, settle or litigate the dispute.
Bonnie has received numerous appointments from the District of Columbia District Court and DC Circuit as a Court-Appointed Mediator and has also mediated cases through the Court program on a pro bono basis.
Amongst Bonnie’s unique expertise, throughout her career, she has:
Worked on multifamily and healthcare matters involving HUD, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the USDA Rural Housing program, and GNMA.
Handled complex private and bank lending and mortgage originating and servicing matters.
Litigated numerous creditors’ rights, lender liability types of claims, real estate litigation and construction disputes.
Troubleshot hundreds of defaulted loans having handled many workouts, foreclosures and bankruptcies.
Represented clients in corporate governance, audits and compliance matters.
Handled enforcement proceedings before numerous government agencies and has extensive experience with internal and external investigations.
Conducted dozens of investigations.
Litigated a broad range of disputes derived from employment relationship issues and complex discrimination and harassment matters before the EEOC, and state and local agencies through appeal. These matters have involved representation of employers and employees in race, gender, religion, national origin, age, disability and other discrimination matters.
Handled several high profile sexual harassment and whistle-blowing cases, as well as disputes pertaining to covenants-not-to-compete, unfair trade and contractual matters.
Served as an expert witness in employment and lending matters.
Bar Admissions
Maryland, 1988
District of Columbia, 1989
Education
Calkins Academy of Dispute Resolution at Yale University, 2013
40-Hour Mediation Course CertificationUniversity of Miami, 1988
Juris Doctor (J.D.), cum laude
Order of the Coif
Editor, Inter-American Law ReviewBrandeis University, 1985
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
Double Major: Sociology and English, with honors
Teaching Assistant, Group Process I & II
Court Admissions
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Columbia
U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland
U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Accolades
Selected, Chambers USA, Litigation Practice: General Commercial: Highly Regarded, District of Columbia, 2021 and 2022.
In the Community
MMMPact Pro Bono Super Star, 2019, 2020, 2021
Speaker, Non-Profit Institute, Spring 2022
Served on various boards and commissions, including the Board of Governors for the Commercial Real Estate Multifamily Board of the Mortgage Bankers Association.
Podcasts, Publications, and Events
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Publication: Bonnie Hochman on Federal Reserve's Interest Rate Decision
06.22.2023
Bonnie discussed the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision with the Scotsman Guide whereby the Federal Reserve struck a middle ground between short- and long-term thinking at its latest meeting, announcing a pause in its hawkish policy of interest rate hikes but signaling that two further increases are expected this year. The break from benchmark rate increases put a halt to 10 straight increases from the central bank. -
Podcast: Bonnie Hochman on Lender Legal Considerations, Housing Surge
06.21.2023
Bonnie joined Rob Chrisman on The Chrisman Commentary's "Summer Solstice" podcast for a lively discussion about the risks and legal considerations for lenders in today’s market. -
Speaking Engagement: Explore Build-to-Rent Advantages, Trends & Opportunities
06.21.2023
Bonnie moderated the Mortgage Bankers Association’s webinar: Explore Build-to-Rent Advantages, Trends & Opportunities, Along with Bonnie, industry leaders from various segments of the build to tent industry provided an insightful dialogue on the vantage points and facets of the growing Build to Rent market. -
Publication: CRE Investor Admits To $150M Fraud After Laundering Cash Through Crypto, Fleeing Country
03.16.2023
Bonnie spoke to Bisnow about a recent fraud case and the implications for the lender defrauded in the scheme while also under scrutiny for underwriting the loan. Bonnie stated that the lender in that case was not the only lender to come under fire in recent years for failing to catch fraudulent activity committed on the part of developers or investors. “Trust but verify,” she said. “The underwriting team needs to get their feet on the ground … sometimes you can catch an overstatement or a misrepresentation by actually seeing it. Don’t trust somebody’s projection, get a second appraisal if there’s something that smells in a first appraisal, and lots of communication, lots of documentation.” “Every time there is a default, particularly where there has been a loan default close in time to the loan having been underwritten, I find regulators are going back and scrutinizing the lenders. That has become more commonplace today.” -
Webinar: Top Commercial Mortgage Servicing Issues In 2023 - Top Takeaways
03.09.2023
Bonnie moderated an insightful discussion at a recent The Mortgage Bankers Association’s webinar: Top Commercial Mortgage Servicing Issues in 2023, providing critical updates to the lending industry. While we are not yet experiencing the extreme conditions we have seen in prior recessions, we continue to face the backlash that comes with economic volatility. -
Publication: How To Avoid Violating U.S. Sanctions on Russian Oligarchs’ CRE Investments
01.30.2023
On January 25, 2023, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), issued an alert to financial institutions, providing a warning regarding sanctioned Russian elites, oligarchs, and their family members who might be trying to circumvent sanctions by investing in U.S. commercial real estate. How to spot and avoid potential sanctions violators became an immediate challenge for the banking and commercial real estate community. Bonnie was called for comment by Wealth Management who shared that a knowing violation of sanctions, and even an unknowing one, can not only lead to civil monetary penalties and possible criminal ones, but people and companies can lose licenses if they were deemed complicit in illegal transactions, even if they weren’t the entity that executed those transactions. -
Publication: Avoid Legal Problems During An Economic Downturn
11.03.2022
Bonnie sat down for a Q&A with the Scotsman Guide - a provider of industry news for residential and commercial mortgage originators. Read more as Bonnie shares lessons learned from industry downturns, some of the main problems loan originators face in a recessionary environment, and advice to borrowers and lenders. -
News Article: New Appointment To The Mortgage Bankers Association’s Commercial Real Estate/Multifamily Finance Board Of Governors
11.02.2022
Washington D.C. (November 2, 2022) - Bonnie was appointed to The Mortgage Bankers Association’s Commercial Real Estate/Multifamily Finance Board of Governors (COMBOG). -
Publication: CFPB’s Increased Regulations And Stronger Enforcement Actions Bring New Compliance Challenges To Financial Services Institutions
05.09.2022
Bonnie and her colleague broke down the final rules for consumers impacted by the pandemic and outlined what financial service businesses could do to avoid fines and stay compliant with additional rules and regulations put in place by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in this publication: CFPB’s Increased Regulations and Stronger Enforcement Actions Bring New Compliance Challenges to Financial Services Institutions.