CAPS recently submitted several public comments to the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on various consumer protection matters.

The FTC comments, one of which can we read here, were submitted in response to the FTC’s Hearings on Competition and Consumer Protection in the 21st Century. CAPS argued that to adequately deter unfair and deceptive business practices, Congress should grant the FTC increased rulemaking and civil penalty authority.

The CFPB comment, which can be read here, argued in opposition to several recent proposals from current CFPB Acting Director Mick Mulvaney. For example, drawing on clinical experience at Berkeley’s Consumer Rights Workshop and East Bay Community Law Center’s Consumer Justice Clinic, CAPS argued that Mulvaney’s proposal to remove the Bureau’s publicly accessible Consumer Complaint Database would harm consumers and impede the direct legal services model.

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The Spring 2018 issue of the Berkeley Law Transcript featured an article recently about the Center for Consumer Law and Economic Justice. The article features Ted Mermin, the Center’s Interim Director, and Elizabeth Cabraser, renowned litigator and founding donor for the new Center.

The California Law Review has recently published an article about the East Bay Community Law Center’s Consumer Justice Clinic. The piece was authored by CAPS faculty adviser Ted Mermin, who helped create the the Consumer Justice Clinic. The article can be accessed here: http://www.californialawreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/8-Festschrift_Mermin.pdf.

The “Corporate Crime Reporter” recently featured an interview with CAPS faculty advisor Ted Mermin about Berkeley’s new Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice. You can find the article here: https://www.corporatecrimereporter.com/news/200/ted-mermin-berkeley-center-consumer-law-economic-justice/.

Recent Berkeley Law graduate & former CAPS leader Nate Brown was quoted in a recent CNN article about law firms’ use of mandatory arbitration clauses in employment contracts. Read the article here: 

http://money.cnn.com/2018/06/18/news/companies/mandatory-arbitration-law-students/index.html.

On Thursday April 19, 2018, CAPS & Berkeley’s new “Center for Consumer Law and Economic Justice” co-hosted a discussion amongst leading privacy experts about California’s upcoming ballot initiate, the “California Privacy Act of 2018.” The California Privacy Act of 2018 is a statewide ballot initiative that seeks to provide Californians with greater control over their personal information. With the potential to drastically upend the business model of much of Silicon Valley, the initiative is likely to be one of the most contentious issues on the ballot this Fall.

The panel includes Mary Ross – President of Californians for Consumer Privacy; Professor Chris Hoofnagle; and Professor Lothar Determann. You can view the video of the event here: https://youtu.be/IIMN9NfKFcE?t=60

In celebration of National Consumer Protection Week and the launch of Berkeley’s new Center for Consumer Law and Economic Justice, Berkeley Law hosted preeminent consumer advocate Ralph Nader for a discussion on consumer law and public service.

You can watch Ralph Nader’s lecture here: https://youtu.be/OyVW9e9vC98?t=156

In honor of the beginning of National Consumer Protection Week, CAPS & the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology (BCLT) co-hosted FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn for a discussion on the Trump Administration’s recent repeal of net neutrality. You can read more about the event here: https://www.law.berkeley.edu/article/fcc-commissioner-shares-far-from-neutral-views-on-net-neutrality/

Major Gift Launches New Berkeley Center for Consumer Law and Economic Justice