Today Only: Ask A Consumer Lawyer  As long as we are here, we
thought we might let the readers direct our posting. So, gentle
readers, the ball is in your court. Ask questions in the
comments about consumer rights, consumer law, or anything
consumer-related that you might want to direct to a lawyer (debt
collection, credit reporting, equity stripping, fair housing,
predatory lending, auto fraud . . . you get the idea). A few of
the best questions will be addressed in a post later today. It’s
Dear Abby, Esq., today.  A few common-sense ground rules:
(1) IANYL (I am not your lawyer). Don’t post personal
information about a case you may have. This is a public forum,
after all. We will not give personalized advice over the
Internet.     (2) IANALIYS (I am not a lawyer in your state).
You can ask questions about anything consumer-related, but many
consumer rights are regulated by state laws. We can talk about
most federal consumer laws and generally about common law, but
in the end, we will tell you to find a