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National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) works for consumer justice and economic security for low-income and other disadvantaged people in the U.S., offering policy analysis and advocacy, publications, litigation, and training Thanks for joining National Consumer Law Center and please visit our websites:

http://www.nclc.org
http://shop.consumerlaw.org/
http://www.studentloanborrowerassistance.org
http://www.workingcarsforworkingfamilies.org
http://www.bankruptcymortgageproject.org

10/28/2026

Steph Carroll, of the nonprofit public interest law firm Public Counsel, introduced Mermin at the NCLC award ceremony by quoting another colleague: “In consumer law, all roads lead to Ted.”

“Because of Ted, legal services consumer lawyers who were once a scattered and siloed bunch in California are now a legislative force to be reckoned with,” she said. “He has helped pass laws that have halved the interest rate on debt judgments, banned common counts in debt collection cases, and created the nation’s first general junk fee disclosure law.”

Mermin, the founding director of the Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice, won the Vern Countryman Award, the top honor for consumer law attorneys.

10/27/2026

A federal government contract debt usually requires the feds to pursue the money within six years. However, for federal student loans, Congress authorized the government to pursue defaulted federal student loans without any statute of limitations.

“We’ve set up a system with federal student loans where there’s no statute of limitations, and these loans can and often do follow people all the way to their grave, and where they’re quite difficult to discharge in bankruptcy,” Abby Shafroth, director of the student loan borrower assistance project at the National Consumer Law Center, told Straight Arrow.

The Trump administration is reportedly planning on aggressively going after people who’ve defaulted on their federal student loans.

10/24/2026

Congratulations to nationally renowned consumer lawyer Ted Mermin, the recipient of the National Consumer Law Center’s 2026 Vern Countryman Award.

NCLC also presented Rising Star Awards to Erin Duncan, Rebecca Ellis, Shawuki Hilton, and Jeff Newsome.

Learn more about the Vern Countryman and Rising Star Award winners. https://www.nclc.org/ted-mermin-influential-california-advocate-receives-consumer-laws-highest-honor/

10/23/2026

Day 2 of is wrapping up with sessions covering what consumer lawyers need to know about Medicare; using to protect immigrant communities; using state laws to , homeowners, and renters; the shifting shapes of short-term lending; and interactive deposition skills.

10/23/2026

The percentage of US households facing energy insecurity rose from 27 percent in 2020 to 33 percent in 2024, with nearly one-fourth foregoing or reducing the amount they spend on food or health care to keep the lights on, according to federal data compiled by the National Consumer Law Center.

“Energy affordability is definitely getting worse,” said Jenifer Bosco, NCLC’s managing director of energy advocacy. “Arrearages are growing. Certainly after Covid, after the disconnection moratoriums ended, people had pretty high amounts of arrears. For some families, that hasn’t really been fully resolved.”

Massachusetts in particular is headed in the wrong

Massachusetts isn’t alone in the rising share of households facing energy insecurity around the country, yet the state, as wealthy as it is, sticks out given its high cost of living and increasing utility bills.

10/23/2026

Afternoon sessions during Day 2 of the include developments, impact advocacy, fighting back against corporate sludge, warranty claims in auto cases, and opportunities and partnerships to advance local enforcement. National Association of Consumer Advocates

10/23/2026

The 2026 CRLC band, Shadow Docket, brought the house down last night during the Welcome Reception. Thanks to the Atlanta Host Committee for sponsoring a fantastic event.

10/23/2026

Chi Chi Wu, director of consumer reporting and data advocacy at the National Consumer Law Center, recommended against putting medical debt on credit cards, if you can avoid it. You’ll accrue high interest if you don’t pay it off right away and may owe late fees or have damaged credit if you fall behind. And because the bills aren’t readily identifiable as medical debt once they’re part of your card balance, they become ineligible for protections that exclude the debt from credit reporting.

Ms. Wu also advised avoiding special medical credit cards. They often feature “deferred” interest, which results in high interest rates if you don’t pay off the balance within a certain amount of time. The New York Times

Much of the debt stems from hospital bills, researchers say. Even people with insurance are falling behind. But there are ways to get help.

10/23/2026

A big thank you to Stacey Abrams and all in attendance in as we kick off Day 2 of the Consumer Rights Litigation Conference.

Stacey warned attendees of the threats of authoritarianism and talked about how folks in the South have been living under it for a long time.

"First they called it slavery. Then they called it Jim Crow. Now we call it Thursday." w/National Association of Consumer Advocates

10/22/2026

Afternoon sessions at the include success in litigating consumer cases on behalf of tenants, helping student loan borrowers navigate the new repayment landscape, and finding advocacy wins in red states.

Address

7 Winthrop Square, 4th Floor
Boston, MA
02110

Telephone

+16175428010

Website

http://www.nclc.org/

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