Last week was quite a week. I left Cambridge, MA, after visiting my daughter for the weekend and enjoying a little family rivalry at the Harvard – Princeton football game.

Roy Oppenheim on Randi Rhodes

After a meeting in New York, I found out the nationally syndicated Randi Rhodes Show wanted me to make an appearance at 5 p.m. to discuss foreclosures and Oppenheim Law’s defense strategies. They would not let me use my cell phone for the interview, so I was expecting to have to talk from a pay phone in the middle of LaGuardia before my flight back to South Florida. Luckily, I found a quiet place and the interview was great.

We’ve included audio of the entire interview on the Oppenheim Law Facebook Fan Page for your listening pleasure, but here is a summary of my thoughts on the social stigma of foreclosure and how you can fashion your own bailout:

I believe the foreclosure epidemic has become so widespread and far-reaching that the stigma surrounding the issue is greatly reduced across the country.

“In FL alone we now have 26-28% who are behind or in foreclosure,” I said. “I think if you study social networks, you’ll see that foreclosures work like social networks. When you have someone who’s in foreclosure, the moral stigma is reduced because you have a sense of kinship.”

So in response to the enormity of the problem in South Florida, I explained that foreclosure defense needs to be looked at holistically, and homeowners need to take charge of understanding their legal rights and defending themselves.

“From day one, even before Obama became president, we’ve been saying, ‘You have to have your own lifeboat, and you have to do what’s best for your family. You can’t wait for the Ark to come and pick you up. You’re going to have to build your own Ark and fashion your own bailout.’”

I went on to explain that as a foreclosure defense attorney, I work every day to craft unique defenses for each and every client because there is no “cookie cutter” way to stave off foreclosure.

It was a pleasure to have this opportunity, and I would like to thank the Randi Rhodes Show for being such a gracious and entertaining host. And again, we have attached the audio file on the Oppenheim Law Facebook Fan Page.