(Papers to be published in Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy)
The program will explore ways in which our clients and communities have experienced the national debt crisis. Specifically, the program will consider the nation’s response to the crisis, considering the impact (or lack of impact) of new and proposed federal and local regulations on some of the major debt-related issues, including predatory lending, mortgage fraud, credit reporting, debt recovery, and litigation surrounding contested debt. The program will also include an advocacy-focused discussion on debt-related issues highlighting some of the new and different challenges communities face as a result of the recession. Among the questions to be considered are: What type of innovative programs exist at the local level? How are new regulatory structures being implemented? How are law school teachers, and specifically law school clinics, responding to the debt crisis? What sort of court-based or community-based programs are making headway on some of the issues affecting our clients? Where can we go from here?