Lawyer Sonya Smith-Valentine - Greenbelt, MD Attorney

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Sonya Smith-Valentine

sonyavalentine: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2757286&l=2fe951635d&id=102420264112 – 1.9 hours ago (Follow sonyavalentine on twitter)

Legal Experience: 11 years

Law School: Brooklyn Law School -

Jurisdictions: New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, DC, Maryland

7319 Hanover Pkwy
Suite C
Greenbelt, MD 20770

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Overview

About Sonya Smith-Valentine

Using her combined experience of over 15 years, first as a CPA and now as an attorney, Sonya Smith-Valentine has had a successful legal career winning cases against credit bureaus, credit card companies, banks and collection agencies for unlawful activity.

Sonya has built her firm to have a significant presence and practice helping consumers with credit reporting errors, debt collection harassment, identity theft, credit card lawsuit defense and bankruptcy credit reporting errors. Her expertise on credit and debt laws include: the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), the Electronic Funds Transfer Act (EFTA), and the Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA).

Sonya is also a powerful keynote speaker. Having been a victim of identity theft, she is passionate about empowering her audiences understand the importance of protecting sensitive personal and financial information. She excels at empowering individuals to embrace organizational change for better compliance with consumer protection laws.

Sonya blends her experience as a practicing attorney with her energetic speaking style to enlighten and inspire her audiences. Her presentations are rich with ideas, suggestions and stories which have made her a sought after keynote speaker by colleges and corporations and at events throughout the country. Audiences walk away with the knowledge, resources and tools needed to change their approach to handling most identity theft and personal finance issues.

Practice Areas

Bankruptcy / Debt

Consumer Law

Small Claims

Professional Experience

Experience	Years
Attorney, Liotta, Dranitzke & Engel, LLP	2001-2002
Attorney, Maryland Legal Aid Bureau	2000-2001
Attorney, New York Legal Aid Society	1998-2000

Education

School	Focus	Degree	Year
Brooklyn Law School -	Law	J.D
Villanova University	Accounting	B.S

Jurisdictions

Location	Year Admitted
New Jersey	1997
Connecticut	1998
New York	1998
DC	2001
Maryland	2002

Certifications

Certification
Certified Identity Protection Advisor (Identity Management Institute)

Awards

Award	Organization	Year
Certificate of Appreciation	Maryland Legal Aid Bureau	2001

Professional Affiliations

Position	Years
Member, District of Columbia Bar	2001-Current
Member, Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition	2006-Current
Member, National Association of Consumer Advocates	2003-Current
Member, Maryland State Bar Association	2002-Current
Member, Civil Justice, Inc.	2006-Current

Publications

Title	Publisher	Published
Court Ruling: Credit Bureaus Must Revamp Their Bankruptcy Reporting	Maryland State Bar Association Bar Bulletin Newspaper	February, 2009
Preventing Credit Damage in Divorce	Prince George's County Bar Association News Journal	January, 2008
It's Not Identity Theft: When Credit Reports Behave Badly	Maryland State Bar Association Bar Bulletin Newspaper	November, 2007
Collection Attorneys Beware of New FDCPA Rulings	Maryland State Bar Association Bar Bulletin Newspaper	April, 2006
Bankruptcy = Fresh Start? Maybe Not!	Maryland State Bar Association Bar Bulletin Newspaper	April, 2005
When Debt Collectors Call	Maryland State Bar Association Bar Bulletin Newspaper	October, 2004

Blogs

Consumer Law Blog

17 November 2009Fraud Stimulus Money Schemes Are In Effect
11 November 2009Bankruptcy Court Secrets
7 November 2009Your Credit Report Affects Your Employment
3 November 2009Student Pays For College By Stealing Social Security Number
29 October 2009Are Cardholders Really Protected?
21 October 2009Identity Theft Can Hit Anyone
13 October 2009New FTC Rule Prohibits Unwanted Robocalls
7 October 2009Protect Your Identity Week
5 October 2009LimeWire Used to Steal Personal Information by Identity Thief

Sonya Smith-Valentine, Esq.

16 November 2009The Importance of Your Credit Score
11 November 2009Guard Your Credit Cards
6 November 2009Seniors Relying on Credit Cards
2 November 2009Tax Agents Utilizing the Internet to Find Tax Evaders
29 October 2009Travel Plans Should Stay Offline
28 October 200915 Smart Money Moves for Women
26 October 2009College Students Should Practice Controlling Credit Cards And Debts
20 October 2009Knowing Your Credit Report and Credit Score
15 October 2009Educate College Students About Their Financial Affairs

Blogs

Consumer Law Blog

Sonya Smith-Valentine, Esq.

Twitter / sonyavalentine

1.9 hours agosonyavalentine: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2757286&l=2fe951635d&id=102420264112
1.9 hours agosonyavalentine: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2757264&l=e8a591825a&id=102420264112
2 hours agosonyavalentine: Spoke yesterday at the Maryland Women's Conference. Presented one session on how to prevent identity theft and one... http://bit.ly/6mXwRR
1 day agosonyavalentine: Safety Tips For The Social Network User: Many individuals and business owners are utilizing social networks. So.. http://tinyurl.com/ygpmv67
5 days agosonyavalentine: The Importance of Your Credit Score: As creditors increase their expectations of your credit score, you should .. http://bit.ly/1vFTGL
November 11, 2009sonyavalentine: Guard Your Credit Cards: The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act that goes into effe.. http://bit.ly/4wVsiu

Websites

Valentine Legal Group, LLC

Sonya Smith-Valentine International

Twitter & Social Networks

Show in Google Earth

27	Community Connections	44	Total Connections
44	Community Followers	173	Total Followers
42	Community Following	84	Total Following

Twitter / sonyavalentine

1.9 hours agosonyavalentine: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2757286&l=2fe951635d&id=102420264112
1.9 hours agosonyavalentine: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2757264&l=e8a591825a&id=102420264112
2 hours agosonyavalentine: Spoke yesterday at the Maryland Women's Conference. Presented one session on how to prevent identity theft and one... http://bit.ly/6mXwRR
1 day agosonyavalentine: Safety Tips For The Social Network User: Many individuals and business owners are utilizing social networks. So.. http://tinyurl.com/ygpmv67
5 days agosonyavalentine: The Importance of Your Credit Score: As creditors increase their expectations of your credit score, you should .. http://bit.ly/1vFTGL
November 11, 2009sonyavalentine: Guard Your Credit Cards: The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act that goes into effe.. http://bit.ly/4wVsiu
November 6, 2009sonyavalentine: Seniors Relying on Credit Cards: The recession has burden senior citizens more than any other age group. Having.. http://bit.ly/cU66
November 2, 2009sonyavalentine: Tax Agents Utilizing the Internet to Find Tax Evaders: The taxmen are now looking on social networking websites.. http://bit.ly/7j20W
October 29, 2009sonyavalentine: Travel Plans Should Stay Offline: Like most people in the world, you are probably using social network sites to.. http://bit.ly/2oeS8F
October 28, 2009sonyavalentine: 15 Smart Money Moves for Women: Heart & Soul magazine writer Maya Payne Smart did a great job with her arti.. http://bit.ly/2q9SQr
October 26, 2009sonyavalentine: College Students Should Practice Controlling Credit Cards And Debts: Paying for college tuition, boarding, and .. http://bit.ly/l7AiT
October 20, 2009sonyavalentine: Knowing Your Credit Report and Credit Score: If you are looking to borrow money, apply for a line a credit, obt.. http://bit.ly/7yh9N
October 15, 2009sonyavalentine: Educate College Students About Their Financial Affairs: Being a college student is a new and exciting part of li.. http://bit.ly/V4XNB
October 13, 2009sonyavalentine: National Protect Your Identity Week – Oct. 17-24: Identity theft increased 19% from 2007 to 2008. In 2007.. http://bit.ly/bdMLr
October 9, 2009sonyavalentine: The Dangers of Debit Cards: If you are a consumer who thinks that your bank will cover a purchase on your debt .. http://bit.ly/3GL3j
October 6, 2009sonyavalentine: Beware of What You Purchase With Your Credit Card: There are several types of purchases that the credit card co.. http://bit.ly/uScbO
October 1, 2009sonyavalentine: Americans Feel More Confident About Their Identities But Should They?: Reported cases of identity theft are on .. http://bit.ly/9TxVW
September 28, 2009sonyavalentine: Credit Card Rewards Now Less Rewarding: Credit card companies are scaling back on reward programs. Customers n.. http://bit.ly/6pv86
September 27, 2009sonyavalentine: Medical Identity Theft: http://bit.ly/Vh9zx
September 27, 2009sonyavalentine: Debit Card Scam: http://bit.ly/25Psld
September 27, 2009sonyavalentine: Auto Insurance Score: http://bit.ly/zgrUH

Justia Legal Services & Lawyers Directory

Sonya Smith-Valentine

Overview

About Sonya Smith-Valentine

Practice Areas

Professional Experience

Education

Websites

Social Network Profiles

Legal Profiles

Publishing Profiles

Jurisdictions

Certifications

Awards

Professional Affiliations

Publications

Publishing Profiles

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Publications

Blogs

Consumer Law Blog

Sonya Smith-Valentine, Esq.

Blogs

Twitter / sonyavalentine

Websites

Twitter & Social Networks

Show in Google Earth

27

Community Connections

44

Total Connections

44

Community Followers

173

Total Followers

42

Community Following

84

Total Following

Twitter / sonyavalentine

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