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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250113T140000
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DTSTAMP:20250606T190956Z
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UID:20213-1736776800-1745330400@www.consumeradvocates.org
SUMMARY:NACA’s Business Development eCourse 101: Build a Successful Consumer Law Practice
DESCRIPTION:Your success as a small law firm is just as dependent on your skills as a litigator as it is on your ability to successfully manage your small business. It’s time to change your mindset from being an attorney to an entrepreneur. \nLearn how to build the business systems to set your practice up for sustainable success. This brand new eCourse helps you organize your priorities\, establishing goals and creating an achievable action plan. \nThe eCourse includes: \n\nNine webinars given by experts in the field\n Instructional materials\, including videos\, handouts and readings\n\nPlease note that this course is available at no cost to former and current federal attorneys. Email trainining@consumeradvocates.org to learn more. \n\nWhat You Will Learn\n• How to align your finances to achieve your firm goals\n• How to define your target audience for marketing efforts\n• How to create a sales system\n• How to create an intake system\n• How to optimize your office workflows and integrate AI solutions \n\nCourse Topics:  \nThe Cases: Selecting Winners  \nLearn how to identify the types of cases you want to accept and determine which cases to decline. \nInstructor: Christina Roseman \nMarketing 101: Who Are Your Clients? \nDetermine who you want your client(s) to be and create a communications and marketing plan to reach these clients that conveys how you could assist them. \nInstructor: Russell Dombrow \nSales: Turning Interest into Intake \nLearn how to develop a pitch system that will turn prospectives into clients. \nInstructor: Michael Cardoza \nOptimizing Your Intake System \nLearn how to optimize your intake system once you have your ideal client and a case you want to take. \nInstructors: Christine Anderson Ferraris and Melissa Huelsman \nWorkflow Optimization 101 \nLearn how to create systems to serve your clients with top-notch representation without burning out yourself and your team. \nInstructor: Dave Maxfield \nUsing AI to Increase Optimization \nLearn how to identify specific areas where AI can add value (e.g.\, document review\, legal research\, client communication. \nInstructors: Sarah Ritchie and Subhan Tariq \nUsing Financial Metrics to Drive Your Goals  \nDiscuss what finances you need to make your vision a reality. \nInstructors: Suzanne Iazetta and Matthew Vocci \n\nCourse Instructors \nMichael F. “Mike” Cardoza is a California Consumer Financial Protection Attorney who helps people regain control of their financial lives by getting the upper hand on creditors\, debt collectors and credit reporting agencies. Trained as a trial attorney in the U.S. Marine Corps\, Mike Cardoza has tried countless cases in federal and state courtrooms. Mike founded The Cardoza Law Corporation in order to share the truth about consumer credit and finance with clients and to be their “partner in prosperity.” \nFor over eighteen years\, founder Christine A. Ferraris has worked relentlessly in the legal arena to help those hurt by fraud. As a business owner herself for most of those eighteen years\, she understands the challenges small-business owners face. \nMelissa A. Huelsman is the principal of Law Offices of Melissa A. Huelsman\, P.S. Her practice involves plaintiffs’ civil litigation in the areas of predatory lending and mortgage loan servicing\, foreclosure defense\, fraud\, and foreclosure rescue scams. Ms. Huelsman is a founder and vice chair of the board of directors\, Northwest Consumer Law Center\, a nonprofit dedicated to the representation of consumers on financial issues and she sits on the board of CENTS\, financial literacy nonprofit. She was named King County Bar Association’s Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year in 2006 and was previously recognized by VLS as one of its Volunteers of the Year. She has been interviewed by foreign and domestic journalists regarding predatory lending\, mortgage loan servicing\, foreclosure rescue scams\, and wrongful foreclosures\, including the New York Times\, Wall Street Journal\, Business Week\, and others. Ms. Huelsman received her B.A. in English from California State University at Fullerton in 1993 and her J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles in 1997. \nSuzanne Iazzetta is the Directing Attorney for the Consumer Law Unit. Suzanne is also an adjunct law professor at University of California at Irvine\, teaching a course/clinic in Consumer Law.  Suzanne has been practicing since 2005\, and is licensed to practice law in New York\, New Jersey\, North Carolina\, and California.  She previously clerked for Judge Katharine S. Hayden of the United States District Court\, District of New Jersey\, and practiced civil litigation and bankruptcy at Lowenstein Sandler PC in New Jersey for many years. While at Lowenstein Sandler\, Suzanne was granted a fellowship to work at Legal Services of New Jersey at the Newark\, NJ office\, which re-sparked her interest in working in Public Interest. While at LSNJ\, Suzanne worked in the housing unit\, assisting low-income clients obtain section 8 vouchers and defending voucher holders against HUD’s attempts to terminate the vouchers. Some of the areas of law that Suzanne has worked on in her career are consumer law\, bankruptcy (business and personal)\, housing/eviction matters\, foreclosure defense\, FDCPA\, FCRA\, TCPA\, and UDAAP claims\, and debt collection defense. Suzanne also was a staff attorney for a chapter 7 bankruptcy trustee in New Jersey\, and has had her own solo practice since 2012. \nDave Maxfield runs a boutique consumer protection practice in Columbia\, South Carolina. He has represented thousands of individual consumers in cases against banks\, credit reporting agencies\, and insurance companies\, obtaining a verdict of over $480\,000 in a furnisher credit reporting case exclusive of fees\, numerous six-figure settlements\, and in 2019 concluded a vehicle churning class action with total settlement value exceeding $21 million. A self-described “Systems Geek\,” Dave became obsessed years ago with how law firms might use Lean methods and technologies pioneered by the manufacturing world to run more profitable practices. In 2018\, with co-author Larry Port\, Dave wrote the ABA top-selling book\, The Lean Law Firm\, a manual for translating lean and agile methods into a simple\, month-by-month template that law firms can use to become more profitable. Besides co-hosing The Lean Law Firm podcast\, Dave consults with other law firms to help them transform their practices through Lean methods.  As an Adjunct Professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law\, Dave teaches both Consumer Protection Law and “The Lean Law Firm Lab” classes. \nSarah Ritchie serves as the Paralegal and Office Manager of John Steinkamp & Associates\, bringing over a decade of experience\, particularly in lawsuits under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). As the firm’s national footprint has expanded\, Sarah has taken on a liaison role\, coordinating with law firms and clients across the country\, bridging complex legal communication with a tech savvy approach. An innovator in legal technology\, she recently spoke at the Consumer Rights and Litigation Conference on the ethics of AI tools in litigation. Sarah combines her extensive legal expertise with cutting-edge technological solutions\, helping her team navigate the evolving landscape of legal practice. \nChristina Gill Roseman\, Esq. is the founding attorney of Roseman Law Firm\, PLLC\, where she represents consumers in the areas of dealer fraud\, lemon law and breach of warranty.  Ms. Roseman has successfully tried numerous cases against vehicle manufacturers and dealerships\, including a verdict in 2019 against Winnebago\, a 2021 verdict against Mercedes and a 2020 verdict against Kia.  She is the Chair of the Allegheny County Bar Association Civil Litigation Section Court Rules Committee and is a member of the invitation-only Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County.  Ms. Roseman was the 2010-2012 Co-President of the Women’s Bar Association of Western Pennsylvania and the Co-Chair of the CLE Committee for the WBA from 2012 to 2017.  Ms. Roseman is the West Virginia state NACA Co-chair. \nSubhan Tariq regularly handles complex commercial litigation\, with particular experience in consumer finance litigation in individual and class action cases in the areas of federal and state consumer protection laws. Mr. Tariq has successfully helped thousands of consumers exercise their consumer rights against large institutional banks\, debt collectors\, and consumer reporting agencies. Subhan also consults with other lawyers and law firms on blockchain automation\, working towards a streamlined efficient network of client files\, document automation\, and cost-effective workflows. \nMatt Vocci is a partner at Santoni\, Vocci & Ortega\, LLC. The majority of his work relates in some way to housing. He represents tenants against landlords and property managers on a variety of cases\, such as consumer protection and consumer debt collection issues\, habitability\, Fair Housing Act violations\, illegal evictions\, and personal injuries. Matt has served as class counsel on several class actions\, including a recent case that resolved favorably for tenants against a large\, out-of-state property management company. He is a member of the MSBA’s Delivery of Legal Services Committee Council and the ACLU of Maryland Committee on Litigation and Legal Priorities. Matt deeply believes in Santoni\, Vocci & Ortega’s mission to provide high-quality legal representation to low-income Marylanders. He graduated cum laude from Temple University\, Beasley School of Law in 2006. \n\nNACA would also like to thank the following members of the eCourse Development team: Ron Burdge\, Michael Cardoza\, Ian Chowdury\, Russell Dombrow\, Christine Anderson Ferraris\, Melissa Huelsman\, Suzanne Iazetta\, Sarah Ritchie and Joseph Sternberg.
URL:https://www.consumeradvocates.org/events/ecourses/nacas-business-development-ecourse-101-build-a-successful-consumer-law-practice/
CATEGORIES:eCourses,Online Training Courses,Upcoming
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250305T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250305T160000
DTSTAMP:20250306T133606Z
CREATED:20250227T150814Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250306T133606Z
UID:22355-1741183200-1741190400@www.consumeradvocates.org
SUMMARY:Mastering RFIs and NOEs: Essential RESPA Tools for Protecting Homeowners in Times of Job Loss
DESCRIPTION:As more federal workers lose their jobs\, the number of loan modifications and foreclosures is expected to increase during this challenging period of job transition. Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) has established itself as the most effective tool that any consumer practitioner can use when dealing with mortgage servicers.  Requests for Information (RFIs) and Notices of Error (NOEs) are a necessary information tool\, a vital discovery tool\, and a sword to attack a mortgage servicer when errors are made.  Most importantly for your clients\, RFIs and NOEs serve as a shield that protects their interests.  Now more than ever\, consumer attorneys need to know how to prepare proper RFIs and NOEs and how to use the information gathered.  This webinar is geared to beginner attorneys who want to improve their RFIs and NOEs. \n\nWhat You Will Learn \n\n\n\nGeneral tips on how to handle judicial foreclosures\nGeneral tips on how to handle non-judicial foreclosures\nHow to draft Requests for Information and Notices of Errors\nHow to use Notices of Error as a litigation tool\nHow to use Requests for Information as a discovery tool\n\n\n\n\nSpeakers \nBrian Flick is the managing partner of Dann Law’s Cincinnati Office.  He is a tireless advocate for consumers in Ohio\, Kentucky and across the United States.  He has litigated RESPA cases in federal and appellate courts across the country including Alabama\, Arkansas\, California\, Colorado\, Florida\, Georgia\, Illinois\, Indiana\, Kansas\, Kentucky\, Michigan\, Missouri\, Nevada\, New Jersey\, New York\, Ohio\, Oregon\, Pennsylvania\, Tennessee\, and Texas.  He is a Board Member of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys and is the Ohio Chair of the National Association of Consumer Advocates. \nSteve Sharpe is a senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) focusing on foreclosures and mortgage lending. He leads NCLC’s federal mortgage servicing policy work and frequently presents on mortgage servicing and other housing issues. Steve is a co-author of NCLC’s Mortgage Servicing and Loan Modifications\, Home Foreclosures\, Too Damn High: How Junk Fees Add to Skyrocketing Rents\, and the report How GSE Note Sales Undermine Homeownership\, which examines the impact of bulk sales of hundreds of thousands of home loans to investors. \n\nPlease note that all live webinars are free to NACA members. If you are a non-member who purchased this webinar or a higher level member\, you will be able to access the webinar recording at no additional cost.
URL:https://www.consumeradvocates.org/events/online-training-courses/mastering-rfis-and-noes-essential-respa-tools-for-protecting-homeowners-in-times-of-job-loss/
CATEGORIES:Online Training Courses
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250319T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250319T150000
DTSTAMP:20250320T131639Z
CREATED:20250220T140407Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250320T131639Z
UID:22230-1742392800-1742396400@www.consumeradvocates.org
SUMMARY:Beginner’s Guide to Unfair and Deceptive Acts and Practices Statutes in Auto Cases
DESCRIPTION:Almost every state has an Unfair and Deceptive Acts and Practices Statutes (UDAP) consumer protection statute modeled after the one developed by the Federal Trade Commissions. These statutes are generally uniform across the country but with important differences unique to each state. Bringing a UDAP claim is an excellent starting point for consumer cases. Drawing from decades of experience in bringing UDAP claims\, John Gayle and Blaine Elliot will explore how to address common challenges associated with bringing UDAP claims in an auto case. \n\nWhat You Will Learn \n• How to bring UDAP claims for auto cases\n• What entities are covered\n• What actions violate these statutes\n• What damages and fees are recoverable \n\nSpeakers \nBlaine received his J.D. from the University of Missouri Kansas City in 1996 and is licensed to practice in the state and federal courts of Missouri and Kansas. He describes his practice a small town\, general practice\, a place where those in a small town can find a variety of the legal services they need\, but his passion is consumer law\, with his focus primarily on autofraud. He took his first autofraud case in 1996 and has been a NACA member since 2004. \nJohn Cole Gayle\, Jr. is a nationally known expert on Consumer Law. His practice primarily involves Lemon Law\, fraudulently induced contracts\, debt settlement\, and the FCRA. He is author of the 1988\, 1990\, 1998\, and 2022 legislative amendments of the Motor Vehicle Warranty Enforcement Act (Virginia’s lemon law)\, and he has been involved in amendments to the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. He has authored articles on Virginia’s Lemon Law for various periodicals\, wrote the chapter on Consumer Statutory Remedies in the Virginia Product Liability Treatise (to be published). He was chair of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association Legislative Subcommittee on Consumer Law and is the past Virginia State Chair of NACA. He received his B.A. from Hampden-Sydney College\, cum laude\, and his J.D. from the T. C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond in 1979\, where he was on the National Moot Court team. He is past vestryman of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church\, was instrumental in initiating and developing St. Stephens’ Prison Ministry to the Richmond City Jail\, and he has facilitated adult Christian education classes. In 2021 John was inducted into the Virginia Lawyer’s Hall of Fame sponsored by Lawyers Weekly of Virginia. \n\nPlease note that all live webinars are free to NACA members. If you are a non-member who purchased this webinar or a higher level member\, you will be able to access the webinar recording at no additional cost.
URL:https://www.consumeradvocates.org/events/online-training-courses/beginners-guide-to-unfair-and-deceptive-acts-and-practices-statutes-in-auto-cases/
CATEGORIES:Online Training Courses,Upcoming
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250327T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250327T150000
DTSTAMP:20250328T144844Z
CREATED:20250304T145324Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250328T144844Z
UID:22402-1743084000-1743087600@www.consumeradvocates.org
SUMMARY:Basics of Evaluating FDCPA Claims
DESCRIPTION:Total consumer debt is at an all-time high. American households hold $18.036 trillion of debt\, averaging $105\,056 per family. With a jobless rate of four percent\, a good percentage of that debt is being pursued in collections. While some debt collectors comply with the state and federal debt collection laws\, many do not. This session will provide a general overview of the process involved in evaluating Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) claims and how to maximize the client’s recovery. \nIf you have limited knowledge of the FDCPA and want to engage in this practice area\, this webinar is for you. It is also a great primer for those who represent consumers so they can quickly evaluate violations of the FDCPA. \n\nWhat You Will Learn: \n\n\n\nHow to evaluate clients\nHow to evaluate defendants\nHow to evaluate FDCPA claims\nHow to spot non-FDCPA claims\n\n\n\n\nSpeaker \nCliff Carlson is a sole practitioner representing consumers in Georgia\, Ohio\, Texas\, and Alabama. His practice focuses primarily on consumer debt. He received his Juris Doctorate from the Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law in 2012. Cliff also received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Mercer University in 2005. He generally limits his practice to consumer rights issues\, such as Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and Fair Credit Reporting Act Violations. \n\nPlease note that all live webinars are free to NACA members. If you are a non-member who purchased this webinar or a higher level member\, you will be able to access the webinar recording at no additional cost.
URL:https://www.consumeradvocates.org/events/online-training-courses/basics-of-evaluating-fdcpa-claims/
CATEGORIES:Online Training Courses
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