VPLC Executive Director Jay Speer with Board member Leonard Bennett receiving the Consumer Advocate of the Year Award from the National Association of Consumer Advocates

Leonard Bennett received the National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA) 2017 Consumer Attorney of the Year Award in November.  NACA is a nationwide organization of more than 1,500 attorneys who represent consumers victimized by fraudulent, abusive and predatory business practices.

Len’s dedication to helping his consumer clients and helping other lawyers represent their clients is legendary.   He is a national leader on the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and his class actions on behalf of consumers have resulted in payments of millions of dollars refunded to consumers and wide-scale improvements in how the consumer reporting industry operates.    For many years he has delivered countless entertaining presentations to national NACA and National Consumer Law Center conferences on consumer rights.

Beyond his advocacy on the national stage, Len is dedicated to making a meaningful impact on the lives of Virginians. He is committed to helping Virginia legal aids help consumer clients.  For eight years, he has provided cy pres funds or gave his own money to pay for Virginia legal aid attorneys to attend the annual consumer law conferences around the country.   Recently, he and his co-counsel donated the fees they earned in a class action settlement – $193,930 to fund a new consumer attorney with the Legal Aid Justice Center.  Len has also been active in an effort to stamp out illegal internet lending that is harming Virginians.  His firm teamed up with the Virginia Poverty Law Center and has filed several class action lawsuits against internet lenders making illegal and abusive internet loans.  He recently worked with VPLC and the Virginia Attorney General’s Office to bring $15 million in relief to Virginia consumers caught up in an internet loan scam.

VPLC is grateful to Len for serving on our Board of Directors, for all the ways he helps us with our legislative advocacy, his financial support and his willingness to give our clients access to the courts through class action litigation.  He has done so much to bring about a fair and open marketplace for all Virginians.