Do you have a credit card? How about student loans? Hope to buy a house one day? As a lawyer, do you want to be able to help clients fight eviction, foreclosure, predatory lenders, and deceptive advertising? The laws and policies that shape consumer law are critical to our everyday lives and to the promotion of economic justice. The economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has made it even more apparent that such policies can spell the difference between financial security and financial ruin – especially for low-income communities and communities of color. Between predatory payday lenders, companies increasingly depriving consumers of their day in court through Terms of Service provisions, and aggressive debt collectors (to name just a few), there are many opportunities for students to work to protect those who most need your help.
C-3PO is a space to learn about intersections between economic justice and racial justice, develop valuable research and writing skills, and work one-on-one with consumer attorneys. The average consumer is unaware of how their labor or savings are being exploited, they just know they are being exploited. C-3PO responds to that exploitation at every level, from foundational legal research on consumer issues to policy advocacy addressing those issues. Students will conduct research and draft briefs, reports, administrative comments, and other projects that tackle widespread inequalities and drive policy change. At C-3PO, you will not only learn about the profound ways that consumer law and policy affect our world, but will also become an advocate for economic justice.
Students will conduct legal research on issues at the forefront of antitrust and consumer law, including differences in law between states. Students will not only learn about how economic policy choices affect consumers and businesses, but also how to effectively advocate for individuals and wider socioeconomic groups. Students will practice their legal writing skills by creating work products for clients in the form of memos, briefs, reports, administrative comments, and more. Former C-3PO projects have generated new state laws, the seeds of law review articles, and have helped individuals avoid predatory lenders and scams.
Supervision: Students will receive training and be supervised by attorneys at the D.C. Office of the Attorney General, Office of Consumer Protection, American Antitrust Institute Appellate Project, and the Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice.
Time Commitment: About 25-40 hours per semester.
For more information, please contact the student leaders at c3po@law.berkeley.edu.