Meet Jennifer Felten of RELAW, APC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Felten.

Hi Jennifer, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
At the age of 18, I dropped out of UCLA after getting pregnant with my first child. This was not the plan. I was going to school with the goal of becoming a psychiatrist. That never happened. Instead, I went into real estate. My first real job was doing customer service for a title and escrow company. Over several years I moved up and ultimately because an escrow officer, manager and trainer. I took the service skills I learned in the beginning and honed them into a real estate career.

Throughout this time, I felt a calling to do more. This led me to go back and complete my undergraduate degree at UCLA. A few years later I went back to law school.

After 15 years in title and escrow, I moved to law. I kept my focus on real estate and have been building my career as a real estate attorney for the last 15 years. I currently own my own real estate law firm, where I employ a dozen real estate professionals. I spend the vast majority of my work time today advising clients and educating the community on real estate. To that end, our firm publishes a newsletter and provides updates on social media. I have a passion for education, so I spend time weekly doing public speaking and other educational events.

While building my career, I’ve also built my family. I am happily married, have three children (ages 30, 11 and 8) and 3 grandchildren. I live the work hard, play hard philosophy of life. As such, when I’m not working, I am often on adventures with my family. We focus on teaching through experience which will build memories for a lifetime.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There have been many struggles along the road. Dropping out of school to raise a family without a college education was not the easy route. My first professional job paid $1,600 a month. At that wage, I couldn’t afford rent and ultimately worked a deal with a family member to live with my daughter in a room build inside his print shop. That experience drove me to work harder to get out and level up. I pushed to go back to UCLA and get my degree. Then I pushed to go to law school at night while I was working to keep the bills paid. Being an attorney was not enough, so I pushed to start my own law firm. Even as the firm has grown, we’ve brought in over 2,000 clients in eight years, it’s not enough. Most days, I look at what we are doing, see the challenges and aim to do better.

We’ve been impressed with RELAW, APC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
RELAW, APC was founded in 2015 to provide practical legal solutions for businesses, institutions, and individuals with real estate needs. The services provided are comprehensive, including both real estate transactions and litigation. The firm practices primarily in the areas of Escrow, Title and Brokerage Law and as well as Real Estate Disputes. As a result, our clients include escrow professionals, title companies, real estate brokers and agents, and owners of real property. The primary goals of RELAW, APC are to make sure clients are constantly updated on the status of their cases and to inform clients of all options available to them so that they can make an informed decision about how to proceed. The firm provides its clients with the individualized attention offered by a small firm while offering legal resources comparable to a large firm.

Escrow Law
In California, the transfer of real property is handled by a neutral third party known as an escrow company. Escrow companies handling real property transfers are tightly regulated as millions of dollars can pass through their companies as the buying and selling process proceeds. Whether you’re a California escrow company in need of some legal guidance or you’re facing litigation due to an escrow dispute, RELAW, APC is here to help. Our qualified attorneys offer advocacy and counsel to escrow companies. We’ll consider all aspects of your case to minimize your escrow company’s risks and to resolve whatever issue you’re facing.

Brokerage Law
At the core of RELAW, APC, are true real estate professionals, which is why we are able to provide top-notch legal services and counsel for real estate brokers and licensed agents. Real estate brokers and agents represent sellers or buyers of real property and real estate and work within the heavily regulated real estate industry in California. Our real estate attorneys can help to ensure that you and your business comply with your regulatory obligations, along with offering legal counsel on any daily real estates issues, such as licensing, customer service, and more.

Real Estate Litigation
RELAW, APC represents companies and individuals in many types of real estate litigation. Our real estate attorneys focus on attempts to settle real estate disputes which reduces costs while achieving a beneficial outcome for our clients. The team has excellent experience in fully litigating real estate matters if the situation warrants.

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
The Covid-19 Crisis was an unplanned opportunity to learn and grown personally and professionally. As a team, our staff worked collaboratively and creatively to serve those who needed our help. May of our clients, and therefore our firm, were essential workers. We therefore continued working throughout the lockdowns and governmental restrictions. When the crisis started, we were doing daily updates letting our clients know what they could and could not do. As members of the financial services industry, we made sure the economy kept going. At one point, we wrote attorney letters for clients to carry with them to indicate that they were essential workers in the event they got pulled over on their way to their essential jobs. This showed the strength and resilience of the human spirit and our ability to risk everything to do what we believe is right in the name of protecting others.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.relawapc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/relawapc1/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RELAWAPC/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/relawapc
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JenniferFeltenEsq
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/relaw-westlake-village-2