The American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers has elected Professor Jeff Sovern a Fellow of the College. ACCFSL Fellows include many lions of the consumer finance bar and leading consumer law professors. 

On March 5, Sovern’s paper, Six Scandals: Why We Need Consumer Protection Laws Instead of Just Markets, was the subject of a 75-minute discussion at the Berkeley Consumer Law Scholars Conference. 

Professor Sovern was also quoted twice in the Los Angeles Times. On January 13, an article headlined “Conservatives are all for businesses calling the shots — except for Trump” explained: 

Jeff Sovern, a law professor at St. John’s University in New York, said Twitter and other social media sites are on relatively solid ground in shutting their digital doors to some users. 

“Twitter says that it banned Trump because of the risk of further incitement of violence,” he observed. “As far as I know, no state law bars discrimination against people who incite violence. In terms of the law, it’s as simple as that.” 

On March 19, an article headlined “AT&T’s new arbitration clause isn’t doing you any favors” stated:  

“Suppose AT&T cheats a bunch of its customers out of $30 each,” said Jeff Sovern, a law professor at St. John’s University. “Plenty of studies show that customers won’t bother suing over such a small amount.” 

On the other hand, if hundreds or even thousands of aggrieved customers banded together in a class-action lawsuit, that would not only make litigation worthwhile but could potentially result in a huge financial penalty for the company. 

Businesses that don’t have to worry about class actions, Sovern said, “can be much freer about taking advantage of consumers.” 

In a January 19 article titled “Biden’s pick of Chopra as CFPB chair is ‘pandering’ to left, McHenry says,” CQ Roll Call wrote:  

Jeff Sovern, a professor at the St. John’s University School of Law who helps Public Citizen’s Consumer Law & Policy Blog, said in an interview with CQ Roll Call that Chopra is an excellent choice. 

“He has been at the Bureau so he already knows how it works and the challenges it faces. He has experience leading a consumer protection agency from his time at the FTC,” Sovern said Tuesday. “He’s creative and he does his homework. I anticipate that he will build on former director Richard Cordray’s legacy in giving consumers the protections they need.”