Young Lawyers

Over the years, housing discrimination has evolved throughout the United States and has recently contributed to the decline in our economy. The most recent form of housing discrimination is reverse redlining, the act "of targeting particular communities for abusive lending practices." Susan E. Hauser, Predatory Lending, Passive Judicial Activism, and the Duty to Decide, 86 N.C. L. Rev. 1501, 1509 n.39 (2008). Such abusive lending practices range from giving high cost adjustable rate mortgages and credit based on unfair terms, to incorporating illegal and fraudulent loan provisions. Social Investment Forum, Community Investing 1 (2011), http://ussif.org/projects/communityinvesting.cfm; S. Rep. No. 103-69, at 21 (1994), as reprinted in 1994 U.S.C.C.A.N. 1881, 1905. Subprime loans, which fall within this category of predatory lending practices, consists of higher priced loans made to borrowers who have less than prime credit records. Raymond H. Brescia, Subprime Communities, 2 Alb. Government L. Rev., 164, 179 (2009), available at http://ssrn.com/abstract=1337729. These loans, which charge borrowers above-market rates, are often targeted at the minority population. Id. at 166. Such practices have created a subprime crisis, an unwelcome contribution to the current economic state.

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act, 47 U.S.C. § 227 (TCPA), is a federal statute originally enacted to address concerns relating to telemarketing/solicitation practices. Most litigation these days revolves around the Act's prohibition of: (1) certain types of communications to cell phones without prior express consent of the called party; and (2) the sending of unsolicited fax advertisements unless certain statutory exceptions apply.

For a young associate, one of the most daunting and confusing parts of practice can be finding the right expert. The good news is that unless you practice exclusively in a highly particularized area of the law, the tools available to assist you in selecting the best expert are virtually limitless. The following article will provide an overview of several considerations that the young attorney should take into account when selecting an expert. As with most areas in the practice of law, being prepared is the paramount consideration and is key to the successful selection and utilization of an expert.