Atlanta (February 13, 2013) ─ Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP has formed a Consumer Finance Litigation practice group, which represents lenders in their special consumer litigation needs.
“Consumer lenders have specific litigation needs, ranging from privacy, collection, data breach and usury disputes to class actions and regulatory problems,” said MMM Partner Lew Hassett, who chairs the firm’s Litigation Practice. “In many ways, this new group merely formalizes the matters and services we have been providing clients for a number of years,” he added.
In some cases, companies may have no idea the way they use technology may violate a statute. Many are also surprised that a legal precedent or an obscure portion of a law – passed long before the economic slowdown – pertains to them.
“Many banks are surprised to learn consumer credit laws may govern them in ways they never considered, especially when they try to collect debt from customers of an institution they’ve acquired,” added Caren Enloe, who is Of Counsel in the firm’s Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights, Consumer Finance Litigation and Commercial Litigation practices. “That can be a rude awakening.”
The practice group offers a full-range of services including compliance counseling, litigation prevention, risk mitigation and legal defense. Clients include companies of all sizes involved in state and federal court cases ─ including class actions ─ as well as regulatory investigations or enforcement. These may include banks, insurers, collection agencies, credit unions, debt buyers, consumer finance companies, credit card issuers, retailers and vendors. The attorneys also assist with disputes over consumer credit products such as automobile loans and leases, retail installment loans, revolving credit loans and credit cards.
Laws and regulations with which the firm is familiar include the Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA), Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA), Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), Truth-in-Lending Act (TILA), Regulation Z and state Unfair and Deceptive Acts and Practices (UDAP) statutes.
About Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP
Morris, Manning & Martin (www.mmmlaw.com) is an AmLaw 200 law firm with national and international reach. We dedicate ourselves to the constant pursuit of our clients’ success. To provide our clients with optimal value, we combine market-leading legal services with a total understanding of their needs to maximize effectiveness, efficiency and opportunity. MMM enjoys national prominence for its real estate, litigation, technology, healthcare, intellectual property, capital markets, environmental, green industry, insurance, mergers & acquisitions and timberland & forest products practices. MMM has offices in Atlanta, Raleigh-Durham, Savannah, Taipei, Beijing and Washington, D.C. and an alliance with FGCN in São Paulo, Brazil.
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Media Contact: Terri Thornton, (404) 932-4347, Terri@TerriThornton.com
