
Rachel Zemke
Host: Legal Aid Chicago
Sponsor: Anonymous
Adrianna will increase economic stability and reduce the collateral consequences of predatory debt collection for low-income people in rural New York by reducing default judgments in debt collection cases through financial empowerment, consumer protection education, and direct litigation.
More than 100,000 debt collection cases are filed in New York each year, and nearly 98% of debtors in these cases are unrepresented. As a result, more than half of these cases end in default judgments in favor of debt collectors, often despite actual proof that a debt was ever owed in the first place. Abusive debt collection practices are directly linked to broader economic discrimination, financial instability, and wealth inequality, and the impact is especially harmful to low-income people in rural communities. Without additional legal resources, the predatory structure of debt collection practices will continue to go unchallenged, leaving low-income, minority, disabled, and other disadvantaged individuals and families financially vulnerable.
During her Fellowship, Adrianna:
Host: Legal Aid Chicago
Sponsor: Anonymous
Host: Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach
Sponsor: Fenwick & West LLP
Host: Greater Boston Legal Services
Sponsor: Fidelity Investments, Mintz
Current Fellow
Host: Lone Star Legal Aid
Sponsor: Greenberg Traurig, LLP, The Texas Access to Justice Foundation