The U.S. Department of Education broke the law when it announced a delay of a rule designed to protect students defrauded by predatory for-profit colleges and career training programs, two borrowers said in a lawsuit filed today […]
The United States District Court for the Central District of California issued an Order today that directs the Department of Education to rule on the loan relief application of a former Corinthian student that has
MAY 19, 2017 On May 18, the court overseeing ITT’s bankruptcy case approved a motion to stop collection on all ITT “Temporary Credits.” ITT used unfair and deceptive tactics to get students to sign up
ITT Trustee to Stop Collection on All “Temporary Credit” Accounts Read More »
Last Friday, for-profit college giant Education Management Corporation (EDMC) announced the sale of many of its campuses to the Dream Center Foundation. The acquisition would convert three of the corporation’s chains—the Art Institutes, Argosy University,
On February 14, the Project on Predatory Student Lending of the Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit, challenging the government’s refusal to provide documents shedding light on for-profit
The Board of Directors of the National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA) recently announced that it had elected Roger Bertling, Director of the Predatory Lending and Consumer Protection Clinic of the Legal Services Center of
On Monday, January 30, the judge in ITT’s bankruptcy granted former ITT students’ request that they be recognized as having filed a group claim despite the trustee’s objection, and recognized the Legal Services Center of Harvard Law
Update: January 30th ITT Bankruptcy Hearing Read More »
“It seems only right that victims of predatory for-profit education companies should have their student loans forgiven,” the article begins. It goes on to discuss the validity of students’ claims, their difficulty in getting debt relief, and
New York Times Calls Former ITT Students’ Legal Action ‘Gratifying’ Read More »
The Project on Predatory Student Lending of the Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School and Public Justice asked a federal judge on Friday, December 16, for access to documents that are likely to reveal for-profit college giant Education
Challenge to Secrecy of Recruitment Records from For-Profit Education Company Read More »
On January 3, 2017, a group of former ITT Tech students moved to intervene in ITT’s bankruptcy proceedings in the Southern District of Indiana. They seek to act as representatives of hundreds of thousands who
Class of Former ITT Students File 7.3 Billion Dollar Claim in ITT Bankruptcy Read More »
The Project on Predatory Student Lending is seeking an intern to begin in January or February of 2017. Responsibilities will include interacting with clients, organizing and analyzing case files, and working with attorneys and clients to
Project on Predatory Student Lending Seeks an Intern Read More »
As lawyers who work with people who have been defrauded by for-profit schools, we support the U.S. Department of Education in its stated mission to “make the process of forgiving loans” for such students “efficient,
A former student of Everest Institute filed a lawsuit yesterday in federal court to challenge the government’s continued collection of defaulted federal student loans from low-income people who borrowed in order to attend a school
Lawsuit Against U.S. Departments of Education & Treasury Read More »
On August 1, 2016, the Project on Predatory Student Lending of the Legal Services Center, in partnership with the National Consumer Law Center, submitted comments on behalf of legal aid providers to the U.S. Department of Education about its
Project on Predatory Student Lending Comments on Proposed Borrower Defense Rule Read More »
Project on Predatory Student Lending Attorney Eileen Connor won her appeal against the Department of Education, contending that it should stop trying to collect on loans given to students who attended schools operated by Wilfred
MarketWatch June 2, 2016 These Controversial Student Contracts May Soon Be Banned by Jillian Berman “The widespread use of arbitration clauses in enrollment agreements runs against the fundamental nature of higher education, Connor says. ‘No
The Project on Predatory Student Lending (PPSL) welcomes eight new members; five attorneys, two paralegal advocates, and one project manager have joined the team: Kelsey Barowich, Project Manager Alec Harris, Attorney and Fellow Jessica Jimenez,
The Project on Predatory Student Lending Welcomes New Team Read More »
Project on Predatory Student Lending Attorney Eileen Connor asked the Department of Education to use its current rulemaking process to prohibit colleges participating in the Federal Student Aid program from forcing students to settle disputes
The Legal Services Center welcomes Eileen Connor as Director of Litigation for the Project on Predatory Student Lending. Ms. Connor joins the Project with extensive litigation experience in the field of predatory student lending and
Eileen Connor Joins the Project on Predatory Student Lending Read More »
The Chronicle of Higher Education November 17, 2015 Little for Students in ‘Historic’ Settlement of Education Management Case by Goldie Blumenstyk In exchange for having broken laws, “the company agrees not to break the law
Two alumni of the Project on Predatory Student Lending testified to the Department of Education in support of the rights of borrowers treated unfairly by for-profit colleges to a fair, effective, and efficient process to
Two Project on Predatory Student Lending Alumni Testify to Department of Education Read More »
In a recent Huffington Post article, Toby Merrill, Director of LSC’s Project on Predatory Student Lending, said the Department of Education’s oversight of the failed and now-bankrupt Corinthian Colleges “represents ‘a massive failure in terms of
We are now accepting applications for a clinic attorney in our Consumer Law/Predatory Lending Clinic. The attorney will engage in both defensive and affirmative litigation, will work closely with colleagues and law students, and will
LSC Seeks Clinic Attorney for Consumer Law/Predatory Lending Clinic Read More »
The U.S. Department of Education is proposing a new federal student loan repayment plan, called REPAYE. It is based on the existing Pay As You Earn (PAYE) plan. Key differences from PAYE are summarized below.
Summary of Proposed New Federal Student Loan Repayment Plan Read More »
Last week, one of the country’s biggest career college chains completed its collapse… But allegations that the company lied about the success of its programs and trapped students in predatory loans ultimately led to its downfall.
LSC’s Project on Predatory Student Lending, along with the National Consumer Law Center’s Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project, released a poster showing rights and options of students at the two Massachusetts Everest schools, as well
Last Monday, on March 23rd, the Predatory Lending Unit of the Legal Services Center filed an amicus brief with the Third Circuit urging it to uphold a groundbreaking decision from Judge Curtis Joyner of the Eastern District
LSC Files Amicus Brief with Law Professors in Third Circuit MERS Case Read More »
In a recent post on the HLS Admissions Blog, two students of the Project on Predatory Student Lending wrote about Building a Public Interest Career at HLS. They name four building blocks for a career
Students Reflect on LSC’s Role in their Pursuit of Public Interest Careers Read More »
The Project on Predatory Student Lending was recently featured on Welstpiegel (“World Mirror”), the Sunday evening newsmagazine of ARD Television, the largest national public broadcaster in Germany. The segment (video) features the Project’s clinical students holding
LSC’s Project on Predatory Student Lending Featured on German Public Television Read More »
The Project on Predatory Student Lending recently helped save a client over $44,000. A problem in his federal student loan consolidation left him with several defaulted loans. He came to the clinic because he was
Project on Predatory Student Lending Student Saves Client Over $40,000 Read More »
The Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School has released a Know Your Rights video series consisting of 97 videos informing residents of Massachusetts their legal rights when faced with foreclosure or eviction. The videos
The now annual Legal Services Center (LSC) People’s Law School of community legal education workshops facilitated by LSC staff and clinical law students has proven to be hugely popular, attended by almost 200 people over
The Legal Services Center takes People’s Law School on the road in service to veterans Read More »
By Maxwell Ball, J.D. ’15 On November 4, 2014, the Project on Predatory Student Lending of the Legal Services Center, in partnership with the National Consumer Law Center, submitted comments to the Department of Education
The Wall Street Journal September 12, 2014 Parents Poised to Gain Easier Access to College Loans by Josh Mitchell The Obama administration is moving to ease access to student loans for parents with damaged credit,
Press Coverage: Attorney Toby Merrill Quoted in Wall Street Journal on College Loans Read More »
Max Weinstein, Clinical Instructor in the Predatory Lending Practice, is quoted in the July 30, 2014 Boston Globe article “Bill aims to help sellers of foreclosure home.” From the article: “A controversial bill aimed at helping
Bill Aims to Help Sellers of Foreclosure Homes Read More »
Toby Merrill, director of the Project on Predatory Student Lending, was selected as a negotiator by the Education Department as described in the Inside Higher Ed February 10, 2014 article “U.S. Selects Rules Panel for
Re-Writing the Rules on Loans and Debit Cards Read More »
Massachusetts is joining a growing number of states that want to better regulate for-profit colleges like DeVry, the University of Phoenix, and the Brookline-based Art Institute of New England to prevent aggressive recruiting of people
WGBH: For-Profit Colleges’ Methods Under Fire Read More »
Last year, federal education officials did something they almost never do: They wrote off more than $3 million in student loan debt belonging to nearly 500 students. Short of dying or paying them off, students
Commonwealth Magazine: A check on bad student loan debt Read More »
