Justia Legal Services & Lawyers Directory

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.

A lifelong resident of Rockville, Maryland, I graduated from Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School (Washington, DC) in 1999.

Thereafter, I pursued my undergraduate degree at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio where I majored in International Affairs and Spanish, with minors in English and Latin American Studies. I was a volunteer English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor at Norwood View Elementary School and a Spanish teacher at the Xavier University Montessori School. My teaching and involvement with other non-profit organizations earned me the Peter J. Buschmann, S.J. Scholarship for Public Service. As a senior at Xavier, I was one of a handful of students inducted into the Sigma Delta Pi, National Collegiate Spanish Honor Society.

After graduating from Xavier in 2003, I attended Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. During law school, I was the Treasurer of the Cleveland-Marshall Chapter of the Delta Theta Phi Law Fraternity (Ranney Senate) and one of the founding members of the National Lawyer’s Guild (Cleveland-Marshall Chapter). My passion for community advocacy led me to become a Legal Observer for several demonstrations, ensuring that individuals’ civil rights were protected, and I taught “Street Law Clinics” during which I educated citizens of their Constitutional civil rights. I was a student practitioner with the Cleveland-Marshall Community Advocacy Clinic, which focused on redevelopment of blighted urban areas of Cleveland, Ohio. Upon graduation from law school, I was awarded the Student Public Interest Law Organization’s Scholarship for Outstanding Service to the Community.

Community Activities:

I am an active member of: The Bar Association of Montgomery County, The Maryland State Bar Association, The Bar Association of Baltimore City, The Women’s Bar Association (Montgomery County Chapter), The Family Law Section of the Montgomery County Bar Association, The Estates & Trusts Section of the Montgomery County Bar Association, and
The National Lawyer’s Guild (Washington, DC Chapter).

I am also involved with community organizations, such as: The Daughters of the American Revolution (Junior Member – Janet Montgomery Chapter), The Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School Young Alumnae Association, The Xavier University National Alumni Association (Washington, DC Chapter), and The Xavier University Capital Alumni Network softball team.

After spending more than a decade as an insurance defense attorney for a state agency and a fortune 500 Insurance company, Ms. Hogan decided to pursue her real passion for the law by establishing her firm. The law office’s mission is to provide professional legal services to each client in a caring way.
Practice Areas
Family Law: Divorce, Separation, Separation Agreements, Child Support, Child Visitation, Child Custody, Spousal Support, Restraining Orders, Simples Wills and Powers of Attorney.
Immigration: Asylum, Naturalization, Consulate Processing, Fiancé and Spousal Visas, Green Cards, Adjustment of Status, Waivers, Deportation and Removal Proceedings