Practice Areas
State Court Collection Matters
The legal process for collecting money from a judgment defendant on behalf of a creditor. Once a judgment is obtained there are multiple ways of recovering the money due including, but not limited to: garnishment of wages; attachment of a bank account; examination in person of the judgment defendant’s assets; creditor’s bill; and other remedies.
Real Estate Foreclosure
The legal process for collecting money from a judgment defendant on behalf of a creditor. Once a judgment is obtained there are multiple ways of recovering the money due including, but not limited to: garnishment of wages; attachment of a bank account; examination in person of the judgment defendant’s assets; creditor’s bill; and other remedies.
Creditor-Side Bankruptcy Representaion
Representation of creditors in bankruptcy matters including filing for relief from the bankruptcy stay, preparing and filing proofs of claim, reviewing and filing objections to plans of reorganization, and much more. This also includes representation of creditors in bankruptcy litigation, often referred to as an adversary proceeding.
Replevins
Lawsuits filed in state court which enable a person or business to get back (recover) personal property taken wrongfully or unlawfully – to include failing to pay a creditor for the personal property – pending a final determination by the court. Replevins are widely used when a person fails to make a payment on a vehicle and the creditor seeks to recover the vehicle through this legal process.
Business Formation & Transactions
Review and determination of the best structure for a new or existing business. After careful review, preparation of the necessary paperwork that gets filed with the Secretary of State and also preparation of the corporate paperwork for the operation of the business. Additional documents that can be prepared are Annual Meeting Minutes, Special Meeting Minutes, Corporate Resolutions, Shareholder Certificates and more. As a final piece of incorporating your business, we are able to obtain your Federal Tax Identification Number from the IRS.
Eviction Actions
Legal process for removal of a tenant from property by a landlord, mortgagee or note holder. This may also involve the removal of persons from a property that was foreclosed.
Pre-Purchase Document Review
Thinking of purchasing a note or piece of property and would like an attorney to review that? Our firm can assist with this and will work with you to acquire the necessary documentation to aid in your determination of whether or not to proceed with the purchase.
Real Estate Transations
Preparation and drafting of such real estate documents as a deed, mortgage, assignment, note, land contract and more.
Law Updates
Meet The Attorneys
Franco Barile
Franco was licensed as an attorney in 2006 after graduating from Thomas M. Cooley Law School with a Juris Doctorate and from John Carroll University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Upon graduating and passing the Ohio Bar, Franco began working for a large firm in the Northeast Ohio area. Franco honed his skills as an attorney handling a variety of real estate foreclosure issues, collection matters, title issues and transactional work during the years since he was first licensed and eventually opened Sottile & Barile, Attorneys at Law in 2015.
Franco maintains state bar licenses in Ohio and Michigan and federal licenses in the Northern District of Ohio and the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan. Franco is a member of both the Ohio and Michigan State Bar Associations.
Tony Sottile
Tony was licensed as an attorney in 2002 after graduating from Ohio Northern University, Pettit College of Law with a Juris Doctorate and from Transylvania University with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. Upon graduating and passing the Ohio Bar, Tony began working for a national firm representing consumer debtors and small businesses in Chapter 7 and 13 bankruptcies. In 2006, Tony began working for a firm specializing in representing creditors. Since then, Tony has handled matters pertaining to bankruptcy, real estate foreclosure, eviction and more and in 2015, he opened Sottile & Barile, Attorneys at Law.
Tony is licensed in the States of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana as well as in the Federal District Courts of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan and Illinois. Tony is a member of the Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana State Bar Associations, the Cincinnati Bar Association and the National Association of Chapter Thirteen Trustees (NACTT).
Jon Lieberman
Jon earned his undergraduate degree and Juris Doctorate from the University of Cincinnati College of Law and began practicing law in 1992. During his storied tenure in the legal community, Jon has represented consumer debtors, commercial debtors, large and small creditors, mortgage lenders and servicers, automobile creditors, student loan creditors as well as Chapter 7 and 13 trustees. He has worked for some of the largest creditor firms in the region and in 2016, Jon brought his experience to Sottile & Barile, Attorneys at Law.
Jon is licensed in the States of Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky and maintains Federal licenses throughout Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Colorado, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Jon is also able to practice in front of the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S. Court of International Trade and the U.S. Supreme Court. Jon currently serves as an Associate Editor of the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) Journal and is a member of a variety of committees and bar associations.
Dennis V. Ferguson
Dennis obtained his Bachelor's of Science degree from Indiana State University and earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Seattle. Dennis brings over 30 years of legal experience in the mortgage default arena and is widely known as a problem solver using both a common sense and practical approach to serve his clients. Dennis has worked for several regional and national firms in his storied career and began his partnership at Sottile & Barile, Attorneys at Law in 2022. Dennis enjoys the fast pace of default work and has developed policies and procedures to ensure compliance with client’s expectations and completing milestones with a sense of urgency.
Dennis is licensed in Indiana and Alabama and is a veteran of the United States Army serving as an enlisted soldier and again as an officer in the U.S. Army JAG Corps.
Michael Lubes
After receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the State University of New York at Cortland, Michael spent seven years in the United States Navy as a Naval Flight Officer – including two deployments to the Persian Gulf. After separating from the Navy, Michael obtained a Master of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of New Orleans. He then became a Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation assigned to the Dallas, Texas Field Office. After moving to Cincinnati, Ohio, Michael enrolled in, and graduated from, the Salmon P. Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University - obtaining his Ohio law license in 2004. Michael’s tenure as an attorney includes time spent as a Law Clerk for the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas and stints with several consumer collections and defense firms prior to joining Sottile & Barile, Attorneys at law in 2017.
Besides his Ohio law license, Michael is also licensed with the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.
Michelle D. Heinz
A life-long Cleveland equestrian, Michelle obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from Lake Erie College where she majored in Equine Facility Management with minors in Biology and Social Sciences, graduating Magna Cum Laude as an Honors Scholar. While attending law school at the University of Akron- School of Law, Michelle held a variety of managerial positions with companies such as the Iconic Group and the Mandel JCC of Cleveland. Her experience includes customer service, retail, research marketing, and equine husbandry in multiple industries such as agriculture, photography, education, and spiritous liquor, in addition to the legal field. Michelle has supervised international staff and has also managed a food truck, adding to her diversity. Michelle was admitted to the practice of law in May 2018, and briefly practiced as a solo practitioner before joining Sottile & Barile in 2018.
Michelle is currently licensed in the states of Ohio and Indiana. She focuses primarily on post-judgment collection efforts in Ohio, overseeing several attorneys and legal assistants, and handles both pre and post-judgment collection cases in Indiana.
Mary Spitz
Mary became a licensed attorney in 2009 after graduating from Saint Louis University School of Law with a Juris Doctorate and from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana with a Bachelor of Arts degree. After obtaining her law license Mary began her career at a large creditors rights firm and she has never looked back. Mary has worked exclusively in the field of creditors rights representing large and small creditors in all manners of civil litigation. Mary also spent a period of time working in-house in the Default Litigation department of an Illinois-based mortgage servicer giving her an even greater perspective and understanding of the needs, hopes and wants of our clients.
Mary is licensed in the State of Illinois. Mary is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the National Creditors Bar Association, the Illinois Creditors Bar Association, and she has written multiple articles for national industry publications.
Anthony Schievelbein
Anthony Schievelbein was licensed to practice law in 2020, working briefly in intellectual property law. Since then, Anthony has handled matters pertaining to creditors rights, real estate foreclosure, eviction, and more. Anthony graduated from Colorado State University Pueblo with a BS in Psychology with minors in leadership development, chemistry, and biology prior to earning his JD from the University of Akron School of Law, with certificates in litigation, intellectual property, and oil and gas law. Currently, Anthony is licensed in the State of Ohio and is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association.
In addition to the practice of law, Anthony enjoys spending time adventuring with his Wife, their dogs Gunner and Kiwi, and their Rabbits Serena and Salima.
Jacob Narin
Jacob graduated from Oberlin College & Conservatory with a BA in Comparative Literature and Russian Language Studies before earning his JD from the John Marshall Law School. Jacob is licensed in Illinois and is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association. Jacob was licensed to practice law in 2022, working briefly in immigration law before entering the field of creditors rights, representing large and small creditors in all manners of civil litigation.
In addition to the practice of law, Jacob is a lifelong pianist, who enjoys performing for his friends, family, and co-workers.
Molly Simons
Molly obtained her undergraduate degree from Kent State University in Family and Consumer Studies with a focus on Hospitality/Food Service Management. She then proceeded onto Cleveland State University where she attended the Cleveland-Marhsall College of Law and graduated with her J.D. in 2008.
Molly is licensed in the states of Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, and West Virginia. She is Federally licensed in all of the Federal Districts in Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, West Viriginia, Indiana, Colorado, Illinois, and Wisconsin.
When not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband and children and all of their various activities.
Joel F. Bornkamp
Joel was licensed in 2007 after graduating from The Thomas M. Cooley Law School with a Juris Doctorate and from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Arts in History, Criminal Justice, and Political Science. Upon passing the Indiana Bar, Joel began working as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in Southeast Indiana. Joel then completed a Federal Judicial Clerkship with the Honorable Stephanie K. Bowman, United States Magistrate Judge, for the Southern District of Ohio. In 2011, Joel began working for a law firm focusing on Creditors’ Rights which dealt with the protection of lenders, borrowers, and guarantors during the default of secured loans. His practice included serving as an advocate during the workout of underperforming loans; filing and defending lawsuits to enforce promissory notes, guaranties, and other written contracts; foreclosing mortgages and enforcing personal property security interests. Currently, in addition to the above, Joel’s practice also includes representing mortgage loan servicers and the corresponding trusts/investors in consumer finance litigation, including contested residential foreclosures, title insurance claims, regulatory violation cases and tax sale disputes.
Joel is licensed to practice in the States of Colorado, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and West Virginia as well as in the United States District Court for the Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana and the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia.
Dylan Dean Smith
Dylan obtained his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Webster University, along with a Sports Business certificate. He earned his Juris Doctorate from Ohio Northern University and holds licenses in Indiana, Illinois and Ohio. Dylan began his career in 2019 practicing Bankruptcy in St. Louis, Missouri, but found his way back to the Buckeye State in 2020 concentrating in the areas of Estate Planning and Domestic Relations.
Dylan brings problem solving techniques forged over his legal experience that translate seamlessly to the firm. He believes every issue can be resolved amicably and attempts to resolve problems to keep trust in the legal system.
Outside of work you can find Dylan playing with his Australian Shepherd, Wilson, and being somewhere outside in nature, as well as rooting for his St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Blues.
Zack Abbey
Zack graduated from the University of Akron with his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music before earning his JD from the University of Akron School of Law. After becoming licensed to practice law in 2022, he briefly practiced employment law. Zack is currently licensed in the State of Ohio and admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio.
Zack enjoys spending his free time outdoors with his wife and dogs, as well as playing video and board games with his friends.
Chris Manolis
Chris has been practicing as creditor’s rights attorney, focused on real estate default since 2004. He obtained his bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Toledo. Before joining Sottile and Barile in 2023, he worked for a law firm that was part of a national network, where he obtained extensive experience advocating for his clients in foreclosures, bankruptcy, evictions, collections, and real estate litigation. He also worked for a Fortune 500 bank focusing on compliance with local, state, and Federal law. Chris is licensed to practice in the State of Ohio, where he leads our Ohio foreclosure group. He is also licensed in the United States District Court for the Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio and the Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana.
Michael Bablo
(Of Counsel)
Mike has been licensed to practice law since 1996 after obtaining his Bachelor of Arts from Purdue University and his Juris Doctorate from Temple University. He has worked almost exclusively as a creditor's rights attorney, including mortgage foreclosure and collection work for some of the largest creditors, banks and credit unions in the nation. Mike has managed a foreclosure department of a major nationwide creditor's rights firm as well as several departments in other firms, including basic workflow, client contact, and both trial and appellate litigation. Mike's management experience has allowed him to take a well-rounded and comprehensive view of the law to determine the best legal strategies for obtaining results for his clients as efficiently and effectively as possible. Mike's philosophy has always been summed up by the following motto - Practical Wisdom, Trusted Advice.
Jason A. Newman
(Of Counsel)
Jason is a seasoned attorney with a distinguished legal career spanning over two decades. He obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Denver (1997), and his Juris Doctorate from Case Western Reserve University School of Law (2001). With a strong foundation in Foreclosure Litigation, Civil/Commercial Litigation, and Real Estate Litigation, he has become a trusted advocate for Banks, Mortgage Lenders, and Loan Servicers. He has litigated a countless number of cases in Illinois’ Federal and State Courts, while serving as Chicago-based local counsel to dozens of law firms across the Country.
Jason is licensed to practice in Illinois and is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association. In his spare time, he enjoys attending concerts and sporting events, playing tennis, and exploring his passion for vintage cars.
Zarksis V. Daroga
Zarksis obtained his Bachelor's of Science degree from Indiana University – Bloomington, and earned his Juris Doctorate from the Indiana University Law School – Indianapolis, n/k/a the IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law. Zarksis was admitted to the Indiana Bar in 1993. Zarksis brings over 30 years of legal experience including working as a Public Defender in Marion County, Indiana; as a Deputy Attorney General for the State of Indiana; and from 2007 in the mortgage default arena. He is widely known as a problem solver using both a common sense and practical approach to serve his clients. Zarksis has represented national banks, mortgage lenders and Mortgage Servicers during his tenure practicing default law.
Zarksis is licensed in Indiana, as well as the Southern Federal District Court in Indiana and is also a member of the Indiana State Bar Association.
Main Corporate Office:
Sottile & Barile, Attorneys at Law
7530 Lucerne Drive, Suite 210
Middleburg Heights, Ohio 44130
Phone: 440.572.1511
Fax: 440-230-3280
Southern Ohio Office:
Sottile & Barile, Attorneys at Law
394 Wards Corner Road, Suite 180
Loveland, OH 45140
Phone: 513.444.4100
Illinois Office:
Sottile & Barile, Attorneys at Law
1415 West 22nd Street, Tower Floor
Oak Brook, IL 60523
Phone: 440.572.1511
Indiana Office:
Sottile & Barile, Attorneys at Law
450 E 96th St Suite 500,
Carmel, IN 46240
Phone: 440.572.1511
Contact Us
Areas of practice: State Court Collection Matters, Real Estate Foreclosure, Creditor-Side Bankruptcy Representation, Replevins, Garnishments, Real Estate Transactions, Eviction Actions, Pre-Purchase Document Review, Business Formation and Transactions