Strategy: Structuring and Plotting the Case

Scammers are taking advantage of fears and using the headlines surrounding the coronavirus to try to steal consumers’ money and personal information. Join us for a briefing on the latest scams and consumer issues during the pandemic. FTC staff will share information on false health claims, robocalls, stimulus check scams, debt and credit scams, and other concerns that you can share with your community and the clients you serve.

Many senior reverse mortgage borrowers and surviving spouses are facing foreclosure on reverse mortgage loans that were intended to provide greater stability to be able to age in place. Some reverse mortgage borrowers are at risk of foreclosure due to alleged default on property taxes and insurance, and they have difficulty accessing loss mitigation options.

Besides purchasing a home, buying a car is the biggest consumer purchase that most individuals will make in their lifetime. Today, there are there are more than 260 million registered vehicles in the United States alone. This number is only growing. The automotive industry is ripe with fraud and pitfalls for unwary consumers. Fortunately, there are several federal and state statutes that serve as tools for consumer attorneys to help rectify the wrongs in the industry and advocate for their consumers.

This webinar should be of interest to anyone interested in expanding his or her consumer protection practice by helping a growing and vulnerable population: tenants. We will explore common tenant violations, including illegal charges, dangerous conditions, illegal lock outs, and retaliatory evictions. We will also examine the laws that apply, including common law, state and local landlord tenant statutes, and applicable consumer protection laws. Finally, we will examine how to evaluate and maximize damages  

More and more people are having a hard time making ends meet. They are compensating for this by borrowing relatively small amounts of money from unscrupulous lenders charging high-interest rates. When the consumer defaults, these unscrupulous lenders charge exorbitant “add on” expenses when they sue to recover. The little guy needs help. If you are an attorney who practices in the area of consumer law, you probably like to help the small consumer.

According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and their allies, consumer class actions deliver miniscule percentages of funds to class members. While the U.S. Chamber and its allies often engage in pencil engineering and fuzzy math, we need to be better at returning money to class members.

There are multiple reasons why consumer class action claim and fund distributions rates are typically low. Some are about barriers to participation. Some are more about human cognition. The good news is that class counsel can impact this process and improve outcomes.