Ted Manley

Megan Spanner

Ted Manley and Megan Spanner of Columbus, Ohio-based MDK say they greatly value the vacation ownership practice their legal and professional services firm has built up over the past several years, as well as the connections and industry knowledge gained through their VIP memberships in ARDA.

Manley is co-founder and chief executive officer of MDK and its related companies. Before starting the firm, Manley began his legal practice focused on transactional and bankruptcy law, becoming the director of a law firm that provided national creditor rights services. As MDK’s CEO, he guides the firm’s strategies, ensuring a focus on industry trends, tailoring services to meet client needs, and driving the enhancement and development of cutting-edge legal technology.

Spanner, executive director of relationship management, began at MDK shortly out of college as a paralegal and moved into leadership roles as her knowledge and skills and the firm’s size both grew. Her current position started with the basics of account management and has expanded to become more encompassing over time.

“We work on client engagement and relationship management. My team gets to know what our clients’ needs are so that we can build service offerings that are focused on them,” she says. “We are the bridge between the external client world, to bring their perspective back into the firm, and make sure that clients are heard. I really like the dynamic nature of my role.” 

From Default to Active Use Again
Founded more than 20 years ago, MDK has been involved in real estate defaults from early on, initially focused on residential mortgage; then in 2017 the firm entered into the timeshare industry, Spanner says. “Moving into timeshare was very natural for us,” she says. “We had a lot of understanding of what it takes to operate efficiently and cost-effectively when it comes to moving defaulted portfolios through the process as fast as possible.”

MDK provides clients with an engagement that goes beyond standard legal services, enmeshing themselves in business drivers and bringing more value to the relationship, Spanner says. The firm operates on a flat fee rather than hourly billing and leverages technology to manage its work, providing access to in-depth reporting and business analytics in a format that best fits clients’ needs, she says.

“We provide our clients with access to our proprietary case management tool, the MDK Client CoLab,” Spanner says. “It lets clients see case status, access custom reporting, communicate with us, and it even gives them the ability to execute and notarize documents. The CoLab really cuts down on timelines … and it’s great to have a proprietary system where we control the development, so we can continue to make it fit more and more with what our timeshare clients are looking for.”

Manley notes law firms typically get involved in a discrete engagement, whether it be litigation or a business transaction, billed out on an hourly basis. But early in his career, he had the insight that “there’s only so many hours a person can bill, and even whatever rate they’re billing at, is something of a limitation to being able to create value for clients,” he says. “This is particularly true in situations where clients are referring a high volume of matters, as often happens in the default context. MDK’s flat-fee billing has necessarily made us much more focused on value and efficiency.”

That, in turn, has led MDK to become more closely involved in understanding client processes in a detailed, engaged fashion, Manley says. “One thing that we did as a result of being in the vacation ownership industry was to broaden our aperture for the kind of work we wanted to do,” he says. “We have a title company and other ancillary services that make the engagement more comprehensive, without our clients having to go to multiple service providers.” That reduces friction by not having “handoffs” to a third party, he says. “We can close a gap of time that matters a lot.”

MDK is purpose-built for high-volume default litigation. “We work with our clients to understand their business drivers and the challenges presented by non-performing intervals,” Manley says. “While many aspects of default legal work are straightforward, complexity can arise when managing thousands of matters going through the process of a non-judicial or judicial foreclosure. That is why we developed the CoLab. It provides clients with real-time transparency into the movement of their default portfolios.”

Moving into timeshare prompted MDK to expand its practice beyond the Midwest, into jurisdictions like Florida, South Carolina, California and Hawaii, Spanner notes. And when clients need services elsewhere, the firm either figures out how to move into that jurisdiction and handle their inventory or leverage a network of partner firms that help MDK provide coast-to-coast services. “A lot of our larger timeshare clients have that need,” she says. “They aren’t just in one jurisdiction or area of the country. We strive to be a one-stop shop that clients can rely on for all their default needs.”

The Value of ARDA VIP Membership
MDK joined ARDA almost immediately upon getting into timeshare, and the firm views it as the “gateway into vacation ownership,” providing the opportunity to connect with clients and learn about other participants in the industry, Spanner says. “We learn what really makes [timeshare] tick,” she says. “What are the important focal points? ARDA does an excellent job of providing that content.”

The VIP program hones the ability to connect with people at all different levels of leadership in timeshare companies, starting with top executives but also including others, Spanner says. “And it’s not a huge group, so you can go and really meet leaders, and hear what it is that they’re thinking about the most, and their goals and concerns,” she says.

Being part of ARDA and VIP provides access to and conversation with people at the C-suite and general counsel level who are trying to manage risk and understand performance, Manley says. “Being a part of these discussions, you have a better sense of what the clients’ strategic priorities are,” he says. “And everybody is so nice … the whole group was really welcoming.”

Top Destinations for Work and Play
Spanner finds the VIP Conference probably the most valuable ARDA event for those reasons. “There’s a lot of connections, and a lot of industry talk about goals and strategic priorities,” she says. “They do set aside some time to interact with people and just get out there and have a nice time. It’s not only a great group of people, but I also feel like I’m able to learn a lot. And we always come away with action items.”

Manley most looks forward to the Fall Conference in Washington, D.C. “Maybe it’s because I’m a lawyer, and I think that is the focus—there’s lots of general counsel,” he says. “They have representatives coming in from Congress and other offices in D.C. who are always interesting. And to be able to go to D.C. during election week in November, those dynamics make it exciting.”

Spanner has always loved to travel and finds it even more joyous now that she has two young children and can soak in their reactions to new places. Her favorite destination is Florida because she and her husband both grew up going there on vacation—her family to Siesta Key and his to the opposite coast. “It’s a nostalgic experience, but when we take our kids to places like Disney, we get to have the experience through fresh eyes. We always make great memories on those trips,” she says.

For Manley, that special destination is New York City, where he and his wife have family and friends. “I love the energy of the city,” he says. “I, strangely, relax there. Not everybody would say that about going to New York. But it’s very familiar, yet you can never know it all, and there’s so many interesting things to do. Just walking around is an education. And I’m glad that timeshare is responding to urban locations, too. Because if you want to get a dose of a certain place, it’s a great way to do it.”

“It’s impressive that as a Midwesterner, you can go to New York and relax,” Spanner says with a laugh. “It’s your superpower.”