Mr. Roberts is the principal and managing partner for the law firm, Keefe Roberts & Associates, A Professional Law Corporation. His practice focuses on real estate and financial law, representing corporate clients, including residential and commercial real estate investors and developers, depository and non-depository mortgage lenders, servicers and financial investment entities.
Keefe began his legal career as a Law Clerk to the Honorable James N. Barr, United States Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California. Thereafter, he served for many years as General Counsel for two of the largest non-prime mortgage lender-servicers in the nation, Ameriquest Mortgage Company and Fremont Investment & Loan. During his tenure as General Counsel, Mr. Roberts was responsible for all legal aspects of the companies. He negotiated various contracts, including the contract with Major League Baseball (MLB) for naming rights to the Texas Rangers stadium, Ameriquest Field at Arlington, contracts with Fox Television for three Superbowl commercials, sponsorship contracts with the National Football League (NFL) for Superbowl halftime show, the Rolling Stones World Tour, Indy Racing League (IRL) and Danika Patrick, NASCAR and PGA Tours. Mr. Roberts also oversaw all lease negotiations for the companies’ regional headquarter locations and retail bank branch locations nationwide. In addition, he managed all corporate litigation and participated in various aspects of corporate regulatory and compliance. Before forming Keefe Roberts & Associates, PLC, Mr. Roberts was a named partner at the law firm of Karhl, Roberts & Wutscher, LLP, a litigation firm specializing in mortgage banking, and providing real estate and business-related legal representation throughout California, Illinois, Delaware, Virginia and District of Columbia.
His experience includes the defense of both individual and putative class action cases arising under various federal, state and local consumer lending laws and regulations, as well as mortgage securities law, bankruptcy, foreclosure and eviction law, creditor's rights and lender liability defense, real property litigation, and labor and employment litigation.
He is a frequent speaker on consumer lending and litigation developments. He is the co-author of "Mired in the Process?: The Future of State Bank Preemption", 52 The Business Lawyer 2 (February 2007). He served as chairman of the Orange County Bar Associations Financial Practices Section, and on the Legal Servicing Advisory Committee of the American Legal and Financial Network.
Keefe received his Juris Doctor from Chapman University and his undergraduate degree with honors from the University of South Florida. He is an active member of the Orange County Bar Association of America, the California Mortgage Bankers Association, the REO Managers Association of California, and the United States District Courts for the Northern, Southern, Eastern & Central Districts of California, and has been admitted pro hac vice in various jurisdictions around the country.