Other Webinars

The Constitution prohibits jailing defendants for non-payment of debts they cannot afford but too often courts fail to conduct adequate "ability to pay" proceedings and unrepresented individuals are sent to jail simply because they are too poor to pay a fee. This webinar discusses both effective representation of individuals in ability to pay proceedings and best practices for ability to pay determinations that advocates should promote in policy reform.

Event Date 05-22-2018 1:00 pm
Event End Date 05-22-2018 2:30 pm

In August, a federal court approved a historic settlement in Salazar v. DeVos that could provide debt relief to as many as 60,000 students. Under the settlement, the Department and Guaranty Agencies are in the process of sending out notices and discharge applications to former students who attended "Wilfred Beauty Academy" (and related Wilfred schools) in the 1980s and 1990s. Wilfred had campuses in CA, CO, DC, FL, IL, MA, MD, NJ, NY, PA, and TX. The Department is required to grant discharges for all borrowers who are eligible for a false certification ability-to-benefit discharge based on the application itself. But getting the word out to these borrowers, and helping them submit the applications, will be key to ensuring that as many as possible receive discharges.
Event Date 11-03-2017 2:00 pm
Event End Date 11-03-2017 3:00 pm

For criminal justice debtors, bankruptcy can be a powerful tool. It can eliminate the obligation to repay certain criminal justice debts or provide an orderly mechanism for repaying certain debts that cannot be discharged. 

Event Date 10-17-2017 2:00 pm
Event End Date 10-17-2017 3:30 pm

Too often, individuals who owe criminal justice debt lack counsel who can help them navigate the system and avoid the severe penalties often imposed for nonpayment-from garnishment to suspension of a driver's license to incarceration.

Event Date 10-10-2017 2:00 pm
Event End Date 10-10-2017 3:30 pm

The low-income Lifeline telephone assistance program has been increasing the affordability of telephone service since the Reagan and Bush administrations. Starting at the end of 2016, the Obama Administration has modernized the program to support the affordability of broadband service.

 
Event Date 08-08-2016 2:00 pm
Event End Date 08-08-2016 3:30 pm

The Treasury Offset program provides for collection of Federal debts through offset of Social Security benefits. One of the more common scenarios for hotline advocates involves clients who are facing garnishment of their Social Security benefit due to default on a student loan. In many cases, the senior may have guaranteed the loan for a child. The National Consumer Law Center, Justice in Aging, and the Center for Elder Rights Advocacy present a webinar regarding how to advise clients who are facing this significant problem. These cases present unique challenges for hotline attorneys due to the complexity of the rules governing beneficiaries seeking forgiveness of a Federal debt due to disability or other reasons. The webinar is particularly directed toward legal hotline advocates and managers.
Event Date 07-28-2016 2:00 pm
Event End Date 07-28-2016 3:30 pm

A recent article by the Seattle Times and Buzzfeed News has exposed discriminatory practices by the nation’s largest manufactured housing company, Clayton Homes and its lending subsidiaries Vanderbilt Mortgage and 21st Mortgage. The article alleges that borrowers of color were steered into higher-rate loans, rushed at loan closing, charged substantially higher rates, on average, than white borrowers, and subject to abusive collection practices when the loans defaulted. Customers lost their homes, thousands of dollars in down payments, and ancestral homeland put up as collateral to back the loans.
Event Date 03-22-2016 3:00 pm
Event End Date 03-22-2016 4:30 pm

Topics covered:
  • Credit Repair
  • Credit Reporting Considerations for Settlements
  • Tax Consequences
  • Confidentiality
Event Date 12-08-2015 2:00 pm
Event End Date 12-08-2015 3:00 pm

Thousands of older adults with modest financial resources live in manufactured housing communities. These naturally occurring retirement communities provide a safe physical and socially active environment that enable older adults to successfully age in place. Elders, however, risk displacement when the community is closed or rents are increased beyond an affordable level. 
Event Date 07-23-2015 2:00 pm
Event End Date 07-23-2015 3:30 pm

Event Date 07-22-2015 2:00 pm
Event End Date 07-22-2015 3:30 pm