EFTA for Legal Aid: Advocating for Victims of Payment Fraud in a Nonprofit Context

Includes a Live Web Event on 09/16/2026 at 2:00 PM (EDT)

Low-income, elderly, and other marginalized individuals are among the most frequent victims of payment fraud. Powerful forms of relief can be available under state and federal law, yet people think they are locked behind a private attorney. But despite the complex and resource intensive nature of these cases, legal aid attorneys are well positioned to advocate for relief for their clients, whether through dispute letters, affirmative lawsuits, complaints to regulators, or other means.

Through a brief overview of the relevant law followed by a moderated discussion and Q&A, this session will empower legal aid attorneys with concrete skills to ultimately put money back in their clients’ pockets, hold financial institutions accountable, and earn attorney’s fees to support their work

What You Will Learn
• What are the benefits and pitfalls of EFTA and payment fraud litigation in a legal aid context
• What questions to ask during a payment fraud intake
• How to decide whether to dispute, litigate, or refer (or some combination thereof)

Angel Rose Kwaterski

Angel Rose Kwaterski is the Consumer Law Priority Coordinator at Legal Action of Wisconsin and is currently based in their Oshkosh, Wisconsin office. Angel provides oversight, mentorship and training related to all consumer matters that the firm assists with. In addition to her role as Priority Coordinator, she is a staff attorney within the Elder Rights Project where she provides legal representation to Wisconsin residents aged 60 or older who are victims of crimes as it relates to housing, family, and consumer law issues. Angel specializes in consumer related issues such as auto fraud, financial exploitation, debt collection matters and bankruptcy. Angel received her Bachelor of Arts from Marquette University in 2013 and her Juris Doctor from The John Marshall Law School, now known as UIC John Marshall Law School in 2016.

Jenelle Dennis

Jenelle Dennis is the Managing Attorney of The Consumer Law Lab, PLLC, a consumer protection practice serving clients in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. She brings over 23 years of consumer law experience, including 14 years at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where she served as Senior Counsel for Enforcement Policy & Strategy, Market Lead for Payments, and Senior Litigation Counsel. Her CFPB enforcement work contributed to over $600 million in consumer redress and civil money penalties in major actions against Equifax, Discover Bank, GreenSky, Enova, General Information Services, and CashApp. Jenelle now focuses her practice on EFTA/Regulation E violations, payment processor fraud, credit reporting, and consumer lending. Her enforcement background gives her pattern recognition for Reg E violations that translates directly into litigation strategy, including the emerging gaps in protection for consumers victimized by fraud on payments platforms.