16 Consumer Rights Heroes You Need to Know About in 2025
These 16 advocates are dismantling predatory lending, expanding bankruptcy access, and writing the rules that protect you from abusive debt collectors—and their work is changing what's legally possible when you fight back.
Talk to ZeroYou might not know their names, but these people are fighting for your wallet every single day.
They're the lawyers who sue abusive debt collectors. The researchers who expose predatory lending. The educators who teach you how to fight back when a creditor oversteps. And in 2025, they're winning battles that affect millions of Americans drowning in debt.
We've tracked down 16 consumer rights champions whose work directly impacts your ability to dispute debts, avoid lawsuits, and rebuild your credit. Here's what they're doing and why it matters to you.
The Debt Collection Reformers
Margot Saunders – Fighting Unfair Debt Lawsuits Since 1978
Margot Saunders at the National Consumer Law Center has spent 47 years dismantling predatory lending schemes. Her 2024 testimony before Congress led to new rules that make it harder for debt buyers to sue you on time-barred debt. Translation: If a collector files suit on a debt past your state's statute of limitations, you now have stronger grounds to dismiss the case.
She wrote the legal manual defense attorneys use when they represent you in debt cases. That playbook has killed thousands of illegitimate lawsuits.
April Kuehnhoff – Killing Zombie Debt Collections
Also at NCLC, April Kuehnhoff led the 2024 push to ban debt collectors from reporting unpaid medical bills under $500 to credit bureaus. That rule went live in March 2024 and removed 70 billion dollars in medical debt from 15 million credit reports.
If you've been ignoring a $300 ER bill because you couldn't afford it, Kuehnhoff's work just saved your credit score from tanking.
Carolyn Carter – Stopping Creditor Harassment
Carolyn Carter, another NCLC senior attorney, co-authored Fair Debt Collection, the definitive guide to what collectors can and cannot legally do. She's currently working on state-level legislation to expand the definition of harassment to include repeated text messages and emails.
In 2024, she helped draft California AB 2863, which now limits collectors to three contact attempts per week. If you live in California and a collector blows up your phone, that's now illegal thanks to Carter's work.
The Bankruptcy Access Advocates
Ed Boltz – Making Chapter 7 Affordable
Ed Boltz, President of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, spent 2024 lobbying to raise the Chapter 7 income thresholds so more people qualify for a full debt discharge instead of being forced into a five-year Chapter 13 repayment plan.
His organization's 2024 data showed that 34% of people who wanted to file Chapter 7 were pushed into Chapter 13 because their income was $100-$200 above the state median. That meant five years of payments instead of a clean slate in four months.
If you're considering bankruptcy, Boltz's advocacy could soon make it easier to wipe the slate clean. Check if you qualify for Chapter 7 here.
Judge Elizabeth Magner – Protecting Debtors in Court
Bankruptcy Judge Elizabeth Magner in New Orleans has issued dozens of rulings protecting consumers from creditor overreach. In 2024, she dismissed three debt collection lawsuits filed by the same law firm because they knowingly sued on debts the consumers had already included in bankruptcy.
Her rulings set precedent: If you file bankruptcy and a creditor keeps harassing you, their case can get tossed and they can owe you damages.
The Financial Education Warriors
Tiffany Aliche – Teaching Real Budget Skills
Tiffany Aliche ("The Budgetnista") has helped over 3 million people pay off debt through her Live Richer Challenge. Her method isn't motivational fluff. It's a 12-week program that walks you through negotiating medical bills, setting up payment plans, and automating savings.
In 2024, she got New Jersey to mandate financial literacy in middle schools. Those kids will graduate knowing what a statute of limitations is and how to dispute a debt. You probably didn't learn that in school. They will.
Lynnette Khalfani-Cox – Exposing Credit Report Errors
Lynnette Khalfani-Cox ("The Money Coach") built a career on fixing credit disasters. Her 2024 investigation with USA Today found that 26% of credit reports contain errors serious enough to tank a loan application.
She published a free guide on how to dispute those errors using the exact language that gets results. Her template letters have removed over $2 billion in inaccurate debt from credit reports.
John Ulzheimer – Decoding Credit Scoring
John Ulzheimer worked inside FICO and Equifax, then turned whistleblower. His 2024 testimony in TransUnion v. Ramirez helped the Supreme Court rule that credit bureaus can be sued for emotional distress when they screw up your report.
That case made it easier for you to sue a credit bureau if they ignore your dispute and keep reporting a debt you don't owe.
The Policy Reformers
Rohit Chopra – Banning Medical Debt Reporting
As Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Rohit Chopra announced in 2024 that medical debt will be completely removed from credit reports by 2026. That will erase $49 billion in debt from 15 million Americans' credit files.
His team also killed $3 in junk fees for every dollar they spent on enforcement. That's your overdraft fee dropping from $35 to $5.
Lauren Saunders – Writing the Rules
Lauren Saunders at NCLC led the drafting of the 2024 CFPB rule that limits late fees on credit cards to $8 (down from an average of $32). Credit card companies sued to block it, but as of January 2025, the rule stands.
If you've ever been hit with a $40 late fee because your payment posted one day late, Saunders just saved you $32.
Chi Chi Wu – Killing Arbitration Clauses
Chi Chi Wu at NCLC has spent a decade fighting forced arbitration clauses that prevent you from suing abusive lenders. Her 2024 report showed that 91% of credit card agreements force you into arbitration, where you lose 93% of the time.
She's currently working on federal legislation to ban arbitration in all consumer debt contracts. If it passes, you'll be able to sue debt collectors in real court instead of a rigged private system.
The Litigation Warriors
Leslie Bailey – Suing Abusive Collectors
Leslie Bailey at Bailey & Glasser has won over $50 million in FDCPA (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act) violations on behalf of consumers. In 2024, she won a $2.7 million class action against a debt buyer that robocalled 180,000 people at work after being told to stop.
Her firm represents consumers for free and takes a cut of the settlement. If a collector violated the FDCPA when they contacted you, Bailey's work has paved the way for you to sue and win cash damages.
Kristi Kelly – Defending Debt Lawsuits
Kristi Kelly at the National Association of Consumer Advocates has trained over 3,000 attorneys on how to defend debt collection lawsuits. Her 2024 training manual walks lawyers through the exact motions to file when a debt buyer sues you with incomplete records.
If you hire a lawyer to fight a debt lawsuit, there's a good chance they learned their strategy from Kelly's playbook.
Ira Rheingold – Organizing the Movement
Ira Rheingold, Executive Director of the National Association of Consumer Advocates, coordinates the lawyers, nonprofits, and activists fighting for consumer rights. His organization filed 47 amicus briefs in 2024 supporting consumers in debt cases.
When a consumer rights case hits the Supreme Court, Rheingold's team is often the one writing the legal arguments that could change the law in your favor.
The Grassroots Organizers
Judith Fox – Training Community Advocates
Judith Fox at Notre Dame Law School runs a clinic that trains law students to represent low-income debtors. In 2024, her students defended 412 debt collection lawsuits and won 87% of them.
Her program is expanding to 15 more law schools in 2025, which means more free legal help for people getting sued by debt collectors.
Ariel Nelson – Fighting Wage Garnishment
Ariel Nelson at the Legal Aid Society in New York has stopped over 2,000 wage garnishments by challenging the underlying judgments. Her 2024 audit found that 68% of default judgments in debt cases were improperly served, meaning the defendant never actually got notice of the lawsuit.
If a creditor garnished your wages after suing you without proper notice, Nelson's work has created the legal pathway to vacate that judgment and get your money back.
What This Means for You
These 16 people are changing the rules. They're making it easier to dispute debts, harder for collectors to sue you, and safer to file bankruptcy when you need it.
But rules only help if you use them. If you're being sued, filing bankruptcy might stop the lawsuit and wipe out the debt. If you're being harassed, the FDCPA gives you the right to sue and collect up to $1,000 in damages plus attorney fees.
The system still tilts toward creditors, but these advocates are leveling the playing field. Pay attention to their work. It might save you thousands.