Carla Sanchez-Adams

Senior Attorney

Carla Sanchez-Adams is a senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center, focusing on emerging issues in banking and payment systems, fintech, and high-cost lending. She is a contributor to NCLC’s Consumer Banking and Payments Law treatise.

Before joining NCLC, Carla was a managing attorney with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Inc. (TRLA), assisting low-income Texans on issues related to debt collection, credit reporting, auto fraud, debt management, and other consumer related disputes. She led a team of advocates who utilized a holistic approach to achieving economic security for victims of crime, including survivors of family violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.

Carla is board certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Consumer and Commercial Law and is a board member for the National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA). She serves on the American Bar Association’s Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence and the Texas State Bar’s Consumer and Commercial Law Section’s Council. She received her B.A. in politics and economics from New York University and her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law.

Featured Work

Arizona's Family On Your Side Podcast: Carla Sanchez-Adams Talks About 'Junk' Fees

On Feb. 27, 2023, Carla Sanchez-Adams discusses a recent report on the high cost of junk fees and what can be done to stop them from taking more money out of consumers’ pockets.
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Op-Ed in American Banker: "It is essential that we protect consumers from fraud over P2P networks"

In an op-ed appearing in American Banker on March 15, 2023, Carla Sanchez-Adams calls for clear, uniform P2P fraud protections to level the playing field between payment systems that keep fraud to low levels and those that don't.
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NCLC Digital Library: Advising Clients When an Abusive Partner Coerces Debt

This NCLC Digital Library article provides practice tips for advising clients with debt incurred by an abusive partner through coercion and fraud. While this article focuses on coercion by abusive partners, similar advice may be appropriate for elder abuse, abuse suffered by persons with disabilities who rely on a caretaker for day-to-day needs, victimization involving…
Read More about NCLC Digital Library: Advising Clients When an Abusive Partner Coerces Debt