Spotting Consumer Protection Risks and Understanding State AG Enforcement Powers

Stacy Bardo | Bardo Law, P.C

Stacy Bardo is the founder of Bardo Law, P.C., a consumer protection litigation firm in Chicago, Illinois. Stacy has more than 20 years of experience advocating on behalf of consumers. She has been principally involved in thousands of actions involving debt collection, identity theft, and credit reporting practices, consumer fraud and deceptive sales, warranty breaches, automobile financing, repossession, and odometer fraud complaints, mortgage servicing breaches, and specifically, violations of the federal Truth in Lending, Telephone Consumer Protection, Fair Debt Collection Practices, Electronic Funds Transfer, Fair Labor Standards, Fair Credit Reporting, and Real Estate Settlement Procedures Acts.

An active supporter of both the National Consumer Law Center and the National Association of Consumer Advocates (“NACA”), Stacy is a past member of NACA’s Board of Directors, serving two years as Co-Chair of the Board. She currently sits on the Steering Committee for Educational Programming as a joint project between NACA and the National Consumer Law Center and on NACA’s Nominating Committee. Stacy is a longtime member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association, serving as the Legislative Liaison for the Chicago Bar Association’s Consumer Law Committee and as a past Vice-Chair. She is also a Professionals Board member of CARPLS, a Chicago-area legal services organization which provides free hotline and courtroom help services to thousands of families every year.

Stacy has been appointed class counsel in multiple national and statewide class actions certified in Illinois, Indiana, New York, California, Michigan, Minnesota, and Washington and is licensed to practice in the State of Illinois, the U.S. District Courts for the Northern District of Illinois, the Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin, the Northern District of Indiana, and the Western District of Michigan, and the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Seventh and Ninth Circuits.

A Chicago native, Stacy is a graduate of Northwestern University and Loyola University Chicago School of Law.

Abigail Stempson | Kelley Drye & Warren LLP

Abby Stempson focuses her practice on state attorneys general (AG) investigations and advising on AG priorities and consumer protection compliance. Abby’s experience includes both proactive and defensive counseling. She frequently advocates for clients and trade associations at the staff and executive level at State AG offices, using her wide network of contacts to obtain superior client results. Abby also defends clients in state and federal enforcement actions, responds to subpoenas and civil investigative demands, and leads internal investigations and compliance review. She has engaged in this work for clients in many industries ranging from the pharmaceutical, real estate, travel, multinational retail, and financial sectors.

Prior to joining KDW, Abby was Director of the National Attorneys General Training and Research Institute’s Center for Consumer Protection at the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), where she interacted with state AGs and their staff, at every level, in all 50 states. She provided training and research and was often called upon to serve as a national resource on state AG consumer protection priorities and enforcement authority.

Prior to NAAG, Abby was Chief of the Public Protection Bureau and Consumer Protection Division in the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office and an assistant attorney general, where she focused on consumer fraud and deceptive trade practices, nonprofit organizations, charitable trusts, and antitrust matters. She led Nebraska’s White Collar Fraud Task Force, was a member of the Suspicious Activity Report state review team and served as a board member of the National Association of State Charities Officials. Abby acted in leadership roles on numerous multi-state consumer protection matters. She also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Nebraska for 13 years.

Jeff Hill | Office of the Tennessee Attorney General

Jeff Hill is Executive Counsel with the Tennessee Attorney General’s office focusing on multi-state matters. Before being named Executive Counsel, Jeff was Deputy of the Consumer Protection Division. He was responsible for leading consumer protection enforcement for the state from 2002 through 2022. A native Tennessean, Jeff, received his J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law. He joined the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office in 1994.

Beth Bolen Chun | Kelley Drye & Warren LLP

When consumer protection investigations and actions by State AGs threaten her clients’ business, Beth Chun offers practical advice that allows them to mount a strong defense, defuse risks to their business, and achieve compliance.

With perspective honed by almost a decade working in the Consumer Protection Division of the Texas AG’s office, Beth helps clients respond to consumer complaints, inquiries, Civil Investigative Demands, and subpoenas.

During her time in the Texas AG’s office, Beth investigated and prosecuted violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and other state and federal consumer protection laws. Beth led multi-state investigations into national corporations, acting as principal drafter, and served as representative in negotiations for Texas and other participating states. She also co-chaired the states’ CAFA working group, reviewing class actions for fairness and potential impact on government enforcement.

In her role as the supervisor of the Consumer Protection Division’s intake and complaint team, Beth routinely identified potential enforcement cases for the Texas AG. This experience allows her to effectively respond and warn her clients of legal risks as she reviews, summarizes, and analyzes consumer complaints and marketing materials.

With significant experience in state automatic renewal investigations and marketing compliance, Beth advises clients on AG priorities, navigates complex consumer protection investigations, and finds solutions that minimize disruption to her clients’ business.

Beth’s practice encompasses marketing and advertising, privacy and data security, and other general consumer protection matters. She works across a variety of business sectors, including financial services, health care, media, real estate, retail, software, and technology.

Session I – Consumer Protection Litigation for the General Practitioner: How to Spot, Screen, and Handle a Case | 1:00pm – 2:00pm

• The fundamentals of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”) and Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”)
• How to effectively intake a case and screen potential clients
• Where to file the case, addressing state vs. federal vs. arbitral forum procedures
• How to spot fee-shifting claims, allowing for contingency-based legal representation

Break | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

Session II – State Attorneys General and Consumer Protection: Enforcement Powers, Trends, and Compliance Strategies | 2:10pm – 3:10pm

• Synopsis of AG enforcement powers and other efforts to protect consumers, and how they impact business operations
• Multistate investigations and coordination with federal agencies
• Common areas of scrutiny and emerging trends
• Best practices for compliance and proactive engagement with AG offices