We fight for racial, social, and economic justice by advocating on behalf of clients who have been targeted by predatory merchants and lenders.
Because of longstanding systems of racial injustice, people of color in Virginia are twice as likely than white people to live in poverty and struggle paying bills. Our clients are often subjected to abusive and illegal debt collection practices, cheated during car sales and sold defective cars, and pressured into risky payday loans and mortgages. In addition to individual client representation, the Legal Aid Justice Center participates in local, state, and national legal reform activities that seek to dismantle the systems that allow and even encourage the predatory behavior that creates and perpetuates poverty.
The attorney to contact about our consumer law program is Kelly Salzmann. Her email address is kelly@justice4all.org.
Resources:
National Consumer Law Center (NCLC): This is a national advocacy organization that uses its expertise in consumer law and energy policy to work for consumer justice and economic security for low-income and other disadvantaged people, including older adults, in the U.S. The NCLC website has available consumer education materials, which you can access here.
National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA): The National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA) is a nationwide membership organization of more than 1500 attorneys who represent hundreds of thousands of consumers victimized by fraudulent, abusive, and predatory business practices. NACA members are committed to advancing the cause of just treatment for and ethical representation of consumers. In particular, NACA allows consumers to search for an attorney to help protect their rights. You can search for an attorney through NACA here.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB): The CFPB is a United States government agency that works to make sure banks, lenders, debt collectors, and other consumer finance companies treat consumers fairly. You can submit a complaint to the CFPB here. They also have a lot of information about your rights as a consumer, which you can access here.
Annualcreditreport.com: This is the only source that people should use to get a free credit report.
The Virginia Attorney General: The VA Attorney General has a consumer protection page, which you can access here.
Virginia Poverty Law Center (VPLC): You can reach the VPLC Predatory Loan Helpline at 866-830-4501 and visit their Consumer Law page here.
Federal Trade Commission (FTC): You can access the FTC’s website here.