Consumer Rights Talk - Northeast Law Group, LLC

Mike Landis is the Litigation Director of U.S. Public Interest Research Group (“PIRG”). The job requires Mike to take a macro view of problems consumers face throughout the country and provides a platform to make impact changes through litigation. Although he is only in his mid 30’s, Mike has a lifetime worth of diverse experiences in his background that make him particularly well suited for the job. The resume includes two years with the Peace Corps, state and federal judicial clerkships, and two and a half years at a large law firm in private practice.

We discuss Mike’s background, how his experiences have made him a better lawyer, and ways to expand the reach of PIRG through partnerships with non-profit and private law firms.

Jeremy Golden left the cold of Minnesota to study law in the sunshine of California. Originally the plan was to practice intellectual property law, but a job opportunity after law school lead Jeremy to discover the world of consumer law. Fifteen years later, he has a successful law firm outside of San Diego focused on debt defense, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and Fair Credit Reporting Act cases. Jeremy and I discuss small firm management, identity theft cases and the growing need for lawyers to take on student loan cases.

Michael Fuller is no ordinary consumer lawyer. He goes by the name Underdog Lawyer and has earned that persona based on his upbringing. Overcoming hardship early in life, he turned his trajectory around, obtained a law degree and dedicated his career to representing underdogs. Of all the attorneys to appear on the podcast, Michael probably has the strongest media persona. He is not afraid to speak on camera and to use media to gain leverage. We discuss his use of media, how to pick cases and more.

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In early March 2019 I interviewed The Student Loan Lawyer, Josh Cohen following the National Consumer Law Center’s annual Fair Debt Collection Practices Act conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. I left the conversation impressed and inspired. Josh has used technology to build a business where he not only counsels borrowers dealing with student debt questions, he also trains attorneys and maintains a litigation practice. The student loan crises is growing rapidly and Josh is a leader in creating practical solutions.

Ron Burdge is a trailblazer.  Ron started his legal career doing trial work at a small Ohio firm.  Early in his career the partners of his law firm handed Ron an auto fraud case.  The chance circumstance gave rise to a career that saw the rise of lemon laws and consumer rights in the auto industry.  A key to Ron’s success is his love of story telling and a gift for connecting with juries.

In addition to excelling at litigation, Ron has a gift for marketing. As an early adopter of the internet, Ron acquired key domain names including www.ohiolemonlaw.com. He began posting videos on the internet early on and it helped to drive clients and business to his firm.

Aside from influencing the growth of auto fraud litigation, Ron is the founder of the United States Consumer Law Attorney Fee Survey. The survey is hosted at www.attorneyfeestudy.com and gives a detailed assessment of hourly rates billed by attorneys broken down by years of practice, size of firm and geography. The survey is a key tool for consumer rights attorneys that work with fee shifting statutes. Cited in Federal Courts across the country, the survey has been critical to lawyers extending access to justice in an affordable way.

Ron can be reached on twitter @ronburdge

In less than ten years of practice as an attorney, Carla Sanchez-Adams has earned a well-deserved reputation as an attorney focused on creating change in communities impacted by poverty. Carla’s role as a lawyer often walks the line from advocate to social worker. We discuss Carla’s background, the challenges of public service law, and how consumer rights law differs when there are issues of domestic abuse and immigration concerns added to the picture.

Consumer Rights Talk host Adam Deutsch interviews Ira Rheingold, the Executive Director of the National Association of Consumer Advocates. Ira began representing consumers in the greater Washington D.C. area in the early 1980’s and went on to influence an overhaul of lending practices and foreclosure law in Chicago.  Thereafter, he became the Executive Director of NACA, the National Association of Consumer Advocates.  NACA is a trade organization of more than 1,500 attorneys committed to the representation of consumers victimized by fraudulent, abusive and predatory business practices.  In our discussion, Ira talks about how his time as a litigator influenced the leadership he now strives to provide, we hear about ongoing projects and goals for NACA and discuss a vision of consumer rights for the future.

In March 2019 the Consumer Rights Talk is relaunching with a new format. Host Adam Deutsch will interview a different consumer rights attorney in each episode. The goal is to publish a new interview twice a month. Each interview will offer valuable insight and practice tips for other consumer attorneys, and will also shed light on rights consumer may not know they have and what they can do to protect themselves. We’ll be talking debt collection, credit repair, auto fraud and anything else that fits under the umbrella of consumer rights.

Please follow us on iTunes and leave a review so more people can find the show.

On July 19, 2018 Adam Deutsch, Esq. will be joined by another consumer attorney Eric Kornblum, Esq., for a free seminar in downtown Springfield, MA addressing common credit and debt issues facing consumers.  This podcast features a short preview explaining five key steps you can take to improve your credit score.

The Federal Government estimates that 25% of all credit reports contain an error. These errors can negatively impact your ability to buy a home, car, finance college, or obtain employment. The errors can also cause the cost of borrowing money to go up. A common error is the mixed file, where someone else’s information appears on your credit file. In this episode of the Consumer Rights Talk, Adam Deutsch discusses three common mixed file causes, how to fix the problem and how to proactively spot such problems.

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