Sonya A. Smith-Valentine, Esq., Biography

Sonya A. Smith-Valentine is the owner of the Valentine Legal Group, LLC. Her practice is dedicated exclusively to protecting consumers in both federal and state courts.

Prior to forming the Valentine Legal Group, LLC, Ms. Valentine was an associate at a law firm in Washington, DC. Before entering private practice, Ms. Valentine honed her trial skills and worked with some of the most experienced judges in the country as an attorney with Legal Aid in both New York and Maryland.

Also a Certified Public Accountant, Ms. Valentine has previously worked for both Price Waterhouse Coopers and Deloitte & Touché. She has formerly been an Adjunct Professor in the area of accountancy at Howard Community College.

Ms. Valentine received her Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School and her Bachelors of Science in Accountancy from Villanova University. She is admitted to practice law in Maryland, the District of Columbia, New York, and the United States District Courts for the District of Maryland and the District of Columbia.

As a Board Member of both the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition and Civil Justice, Inc., Ms. Valentine maintains her ongoing pro-bono legal services commitment in the area of consumer rights. She is also a member of various other important legal organizations including the National Association of Consumer Advocates, the Maryland State Bar Association, the Maryland Trial Lawyers Association, the Prince George's County Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, and the District of Columbia Bar.

Ms. Valentine has also been a source of information for the media:

• June 29, 2006 - included in a story on CBS News - Channel 2 - Pittsburgh, PA on debt collection agents going to extremes to collect on debt.
• February 13, 2006 - quoted in a story about identity theft insurance on NBC News Channel 5 - Salt Lake City.
• January 18, 2006 - interviewed by Liz Crenshaw, Consumer Reporter, NBC News Channel 4 - Washington for a story on identity theft insurance.
• December 5, 2005 - included in a story on CBS News - Channel 2 - New York on debt collection agents becoming more vicious than ever.
• November 21, 2005 - interviewed by NBC News Channel 11 - Baltimore as a part of Maryland's Attorney General Joseph Curran’s forum on identity theft.
• September 28, 2005 - quoted in the USA Today Newspaper in an article on the difficulty of fixing mistakes in credit reports.
• July 29, 2005 - quoted in the Washington Post Newspaper in an article on the increase in consumer complaints about the tactics used by debt collectors.
• July 27, 2005 - included in a story on NBC News Channel 7 - Boston about bogus bills and collection harassment.
• May 3, 2005 - interviewed by Liz Crenshaw, Consumer Reporter, NBC News Channel 4 - Washington for a story on zombie debt collectors and debt collection harassment.
• Winter 2005 - quoted in the American Bar Association - Commission on Racial & Ethnic Diversity's Newsletter in an article on the growth of minority attorneys in consumer law.
• July 9, 2004 - quoted in the Herald Mail Newspaper in an article on Maryland's Attorney General Joseph Curran's campaign to educate consumers on how to prevent identity theft.
• July 8, 2004 - interviewed by CBS News WJZ-TV Channel 13 - Baltimore as a part of Maryland's Attorney General Joseph Curran's campaign to educate consumers on how to prevent identity theft.
• June 27, 2004 - quoted in the Baltimore Sun Newspaper in an article on the need to review your credit report once a year.
• February 15, 2004 - appeared on the Greater Washington Urban League's "On Track" Public Affairs Radio Program - WPGC 95.5 FM & 1580 AM - for a discussion on bankruptcy issues.
• October 27, 2003 - interviewed by the Maryland Daily Record Newspaper for a story on how consumers are fighting back against DirecTV's negative campaign into alleged piracy by consumers.

Ms. Valentine has written articles regarding her consumer law practice and has been a speaker at various forums and conferences:

• May 5, 2006 - one of the featured speakers at the National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA) FCRA Training Conference where she spoke on advice to new FCRA attorneys.
• April 2006 – Sonya Smith-Valentine’s article entitled "Collection Attorneys Beware of New FDCPA Rulings" was published in the April 2006 Maryland State Bar Association's Bar Bulletin newspaper.
• April 19, 2006 - one of the featured speakers at the MICPEL Consumer Law Seminar where she spoke about debt collection harassment and identity theft issues.
• March 1, 2006 - presented testimony before the Maryland State House Committee on Economic Matters on House Bill 1100 which would allow consumers to freeze their credit reports and help stem the tide of identity theft.
• February 26, 2006 - one of the featured speakers at the National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA) FDCPA Training Conference where she spoke about practice tips for new FDCPA attorneys.
• February 8, 2006 - included and quoted in the Report on the Maryland Attorney General's Identity Theft Forum which was held in November 2005.
• October 29, 2005 – one of the speakers at National Consumer Law Center Litigation Conference where she spoke about debt buyers.
• September 22, 2005 - one of the featured speakers at the Law Foundation of Prince George's County's Elder Law Forum and Clinic on Consumer Fraud where she spoke about ways attorneys can help the elderly fight back against consumer fraud.
• May 18, 2005 - one of the featured speakers at the Prince George's County Annual Senior Law Day where she spoke about ways to prevent identity theft.
• April 2005 - Sonya A. Smith-Valentine's article entitled "Bankruptcy = Fresh Start? Maybe Not!" was published in the April 2005 Maryland State Bar Association's Bar Bulletin newspaper.
• November 19, 2004 – speaker at Baltimore County, Maryland’s Department of Aging where she spoke about credit reporting errors.
• October 2004 - Sonya A. Smith-Valentine's article entitled "When Debt Collectors Call" was published in the October 2004 Maryland State Bar Association's Bar Bulletin newspaper.