Consumer Law Essentials: Protecting Home Equity, Tenants, and Financial Health
This free, four-part training equips advocates and attorneys with the essential tools to defend low-to-moderate income clients against systemic financial threats. Participants will gain practical strategies to combat home equity stripping; navigate barriers to rental housing, rental housing junk fees, and rental debt; leverage bankruptcy effectively; and challenge the rising risks of medical debt and credit products.
All will receive video recordings for sessions they registered for.
This “online only” series is free of charge for all. Registration is required.
This program is cosponsored by the National Consumer Law Center and the Social Law Library; and is funded by the Social Law Library’s Endowment to Promote Understanding of Consumer Issues.
Free to Attend.
Registration Required.
Faculty
- Jennifer Wagner, Senior Attorney, National Consumer Law Center
- Andrea Bopp Stark, Senior Attorney, National Consumer Law Center
- Thomas Scott-Railton, Associate, Gupta Wessler LLP
Marketed as "quick and easy" cash, Home Equity Investment loans (HEIs) are high-risk products that are designed to strip wealth from homeowners and undermine housing stability. This webinar uncovers the predatory mechanics of HEIs—from deceptive marketing and repayment triggers to the devastating balloon payments that catch homeowners off guard. Participants will gain practical advocacy tools to advise homeowners, identify these loans, challenge the products litigation, and support emerging policy reforms. Designed for attorneys and housing advocates, this session provides the essential strategies needed to protect client equity and combat this growing threat to homeownership.
This program is cosponsored by the National Consumer Law Center and the Social Law Library; and is funded by the Social Law Library’s Endowment to Promote Understanding of Consumer Issues.
Faculty
- Ariel Nelson, Senior Attorney National Consumer Law Center
- Steven Sharpe, Senior Attorney National Consumer Law Center
- John K. Blake, Senior Supervising Attorney, Tzedek DC
This training equips advocates and attorneys with consumer protection tools to support renters facing tenant screening issues, rental housing junk fees, and rental debt collection. Participants will learn how to use consumer law tools including the FDCPA, FCRA, and UDAP statutes to identify legal claims and challenge predatory practices. The session explores real-world applications for issue spotting and litigation and notes models for state-level protections. Attendees will leave with a strategic framework to help tenants secure and maintain rental housing.
This program is cosponsored by the National Consumer Law Center and the Social Law Library; and is funded by the Social Law Library’s Endowment to Promote Understanding of Consumer Issues.
Faculty
- John Rao, Senior Attorney, National Consumer Law Center
- Andrew Pizor, Senior Attorney, National Consumer Law Center
- Todd Kaplan, Senior Attorney, Consumer Rights Unit Greater Boston Legal Services
This webinar will equip attorneys with practical tools for evaluating when bankruptcy can serve as an effective strategy to stop public housing evictions, unwind certain foreclosures, discharge student loan debt, halt wage garnishments, and address other urgent financial issues. Rather than functioning as a step by step filing guide, the first portion of the session focuses on strategic issue spotting and effective collaboration with bankruptcy specialists to safeguard the long term financial stability of low income clients.
The second portion turns to a critical examination of debt settlement companies. Participants will learn to recognize the common pitfalls, risks, and red flags associated with these services and to compare them with the legal protections and transparency that bankruptcy provides. Using real world examples, the session will offer practical tips for identifying when clients are being targeted by high risk debt relief schemes and when bankruptcy may offer a safer, more affordable path to recovery. This segment will also cover state and federal income and asset exemptions to help advocates determine when a client may be “judgment proof.”
This program is cosponsored by the National Consumer Law Center and the Social Law Library; and is funded by the Social Law Library’s Endowment to Promote Understanding of Consumer Issues.
Faculty
- David Zhao, Equal Justice Works Attorney Fellow, Public Counsel
- Chi Chi Wu, Director of Consumer Reporting and Data Advocacy
- Berneta L. Haynes, Senior Attorney, National Consumer Law Center
This session will provide an overview of how to assist clients with medical debt, including those with debt on medical credit cards and related financial products. Through real-world case studies, presenters will share practical strategies including how to identify if people are eligible for financial assistance and help them apply, how to represent people who have been sued on a medical debt, how to help clients with medical credit card debt, and the latest on medical debt on credit reports.
This program is cosponsored by the National Consumer Law Center and the Social Law Library; and is funded by the Social Law Library’s Endowment to Promote Understanding of Consumer Issues.
The views and opinions expressed in programs offered by the Social Law Library are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the Library. Online registration is encouraged. For assistance, questions on group discounts, accommodations requests, special billing, program content, out-of-state CLE credits, and general contact CLE Coordinator, Michael Saporito by email at [email protected]. Registrations accepted in order of receipt. Registration fees are non-refundable. Most Social Law Library CLE events are recorded and recordings are sent to all who are registered. The recording is available by digital download, generally within a week after the program date. CLE credit, when applicable, is only granted when 80 % of the live webinar is attended. To insure getting the video, please register.