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Professor Jeff Sovern, a nationally recognized authority on consumer protection law, joined the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law in the 2023–2024 academic year as the inaugural Michael Millemann Professor in Consumer Law. After four decades on the faculty of St. John’s University School of Law, Sovern brings an extensive record of scholarship, public engagement, and thought leadership to Maryland Carey Law. His prolific academic work, published in leading law reviews across the country, tackles pressing issues such as consumer privacy, arbitration clauses, ineffective consumer protection laws, and the role of consumer law in promoting economic justice.
A frequent contributor to major media outlets including the National Law Journal, Consumer Reports, The New York Times, Boston Globe, and Politico, Professor Sovern is widely valued for translating complex legal concepts into accessible concepts for the public. Returning to Maryland, where he began his legal career clerking for Judge Frank A. Kaufman, Sovern is eager to continue his teaching in courses such as Consumer Protection, Payment Systems, Civil Procedure, and Administrative Law.
We borrowed some of his time to gain perspective on his time at Maryland Carey Law:
What are your thoughts on Maryland Carey Law since arriving?
I love being at Maryland Carey Law! I’ve learned a lot, as I expected to, from the faculty, but I’ve also learned from the students. Words like “bussin” and “cap” and phrases like “demure” and “mindful” have taken on a whole new meaning for me. Maryland Carey Law is a warm, inviting community and I am proud to be a member of it.
You are the Michael Millemann Professor of Consumer Law, an endowed professorship that was made possible the efforts by Richard Gordon ’89 and members of the Gordon, Wolf & Carney law firm. Please explain why students should care about consumer law and why it is so important today?
As President Kennedy observed, we are all consumers. We are all affected by consumer law. When people take out student loans, buy something because of an ad they’ve seen, get a credit card bill, have a mistake in their credit report, or are dunned for payment by a debt collector, it’s consumer law that protects them. Many lawyers make a career out of protecting consumers from bad actors. Still others represent the industry and make sure lenders and merchants comply with the law. It’s an important practice area and one in which more lawyers are needed.
Why do you enjoy teaching consumer law?
The consumer law class brings together many things. It’s an opportunity to teach students how to interpret statutes and regulations, as well as cases, and to practice solving legal problems. It raises important policy questions on which students sometimes have very different views. Teaching the class gives me a chance to help students see things in a new light, and, I hope, give them new ways to analyze issues. If you enjoy teaching, you love seeing students grow, and that’s something they do in the class.
What is happening to consumer law and/or the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under the current administration?
Conservatives prefer to let the market protect consumers and this administration is very much of that view. Liberals, on the other hand, think that the market cannot protect consumers by itself and so government intervention is needed. The CFPB is one form of that intervention, in that the Bureau enforces consumer laws and issues regulations, among other things, rather than just letting the market operate without supervision. This administration has done its best to shut down the CFPB, including firing more than 80 percent of the staff, closing the Bureau’s building, and even taking the CFPB sign down. They have rescinded regulations, terminated cases, and reopened settlements to relieve companies of the promises they made to pay compensation to consumers. For those who want to know more, I’ve written about this on the Consumer Law and Policy Blog and in the American Banker.
You are a prolific writer for the public, why do you do this and why do you think it’s important?
I don’t think I’m prolific, but I do enjoy writing about consumer law for newspapers and other publications. I also believe that kind of writing has value. Not many people read law review articles. There is no doubt that more people have read one of my op-eds than have read any of my law review articles. If you want to have an impact, then op-eds give you a louder megaphone. Policymakers are much more likely to read op-eds than law review articles. And it’s good to get Maryland Carey Law’s name out there.
What can students expect from a Jeff Sovern class?
We spend a lot of time working through problems. I use a lot of polls (sometimes even Kahoots) in an effort to encourage students to solve the problems before we go through them in class. That lets students see what, if anything, they missed so they can do better next time. I try to use strategies that learning scientists have found to be effective, which means a lot of active learning. I call on students, but my hope is to do so in a way that frees students to make mistakes without feeling bad about it; the goal is to go beyond where you were, and not to feel bad about learning along the way. I also try to make jokes. The operative word there might be try.
What else would you like to share with our readers?
It’s an honor to be the Michael Millemann Professor in Consumer Law. As our alums know better than I do, Professor Millemann was a major figure in transforming both Maryland Carey Law and Maryland legal services during his time here. And long after my name is forgotten, we will still have a Millemann consumer law professor.