How My Law Firm Learned to Stop Leaving Money on the Table Part 2 – The “Other Appropriate Relief” of Rule 3001

At my firm, we see a lot of consumers who have some combination of high debt and low income. Many of them arrive for their consultations after having been abused by debt collectors and predatory lenders, harmed by mortgage servicing errors, or subjected to inaccurate and derogatory credit reporting. Until fairly recently, after filing bankruptcies for these folks, we usually didn’t even consider pursuing remedies under consumer protection statutes like the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). This is mostly because we didn’t . . .

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Mark
Consumer Litigation Associates, Newport News, VA

Mark C. Leffler is a federal civil litigator with Consumer Litigation Associates, a nationally recognized leader in consumer advocacy based in Virginia. Mark has spent most of his career litigating in Bankruptcy Court, including bringing numerous actions against debt collectors, mortgage companies, and predatory lenders in bankruptcy. He is President of the NACTT Academy for Consumer Bankruptcy Education, is a frequent author for the NACTT Academy’s webzine at ConsiderChapter13.org, and has served as a panelist at numerous annual conferences of the National Association of Chapter Thirteen Trustees (NACTT). Mark is AV® rated by Martindale Hubbell, he was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America for his work in bankruptcy and debtor rights, and he is a frequent speaker and author on bankruptcy matters for Virginia CLE programs. Mark is a native of Williamsburg, Virginia, and he received his law degree from Duquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is a member of the National Association of Consumer Advocates, Virginia State Bar, Bankruptcy Section, and the Richmond Bankruptcy Bar Association.

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