People – Francis Mailman Soumilas, P.C. https://www.consumerlawfirm.com Consumer Protection Law Firm Mon, 02 Mar 2026 17:17:13 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.3.21 James A. Francis https://www.consumerlawfirm.com/james-a-francis/ Mon, 06 Jan 2020 21:18:09 +0000 https://creditreportproblems.com/xdevx/?post_type=people&p=10196 JIM FRANCIS co-founded FMS in 1998 with the goal of creating a law firm dedicated exclusively to consumer rights litigation. Since then, he and the firm have consistently achieved ground-breaking results and cutting-edge legal rulings. He was trial and appellate counsel in Ramirez v. Trans Union, LLC, a case that obtained a record $60 million

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]]> JIM FRANCIS co-founded FMS in 1998 with the goal of creating a law firm dedicated exclusively to consumer rights litigation. Since then, he and the firm have consistently achieved ground-breaking results and cutting-edge legal rulings. He was trial and appellate counsel in Ramirez v. Trans Union, LLC, a case that obtained a record $60 million dollar verdict for a case brought under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. In 2009, Jim argued the seminal FCRA case of Cortez v. Trans Union, LLC before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. He has been appointed to serve as class counsel by federal courts all over the country in over 70 cases.

In 2004, Jim was the youngest lawyer to be ranked a Top 100 Super Lawyer in Pennsylvania in Philadelphia Magazine and Pennsylvania Super Lawyers magazine. He has been ranked a Top 100 Superlawyer for Pennsylvania and Philadelphia many times since, including in 2024.  In 2014, Jim was selected as one of a small group of national plaintiffs’ lawyers to be profiled in Law 360’s Titans of the Plaintiff’s Bar series. In the same year, he was awarded the Equal Justice Award by Community Legal Services of Philadelphia.

In 2023, Jim was elected as a Fellow of the American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers.

Jim regularly lectures for continuing legal education programs, law schools and community groups throughout the country, and has been a regular speaker for the National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA) and National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) for over 20 years. He has appeared on various news programs including the Today Show and PBS NewsHour to discuss consumer-related issues. He was featured in The Philadelphia Inquirer’s biographical “Question & Answer” segment in February of 2009.

Prior to forming FMS and after graduating from law school, Jim was an associate with Kolsby, Gordon, Robin, Shore & Rothweiler in Philadelphia.

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]]> Mark D. Mailman https://www.consumerlawfirm.com/mark-d-mailman/ Mon, 06 Jan 2020 21:17:20 +0000 https://creditreportproblems.com/xdevx/?post_type=people&p=10268 MARK D. MAILMAN, is the managing partner of FMS and one of the firm’s founders. He is a tenacious and passionate consumer litigator who has for more than 28 years helped secure over $400 million dollars in verdicts and settlements on behalf of more than 10,000 victimized consumers across the nation. Mark concentrates his practice

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]]> MARK D. MAILMAN, is the managing partner of FMS and one of the firm’s founders. He is a tenacious and passionate consumer litigator who has for more than 28 years helped secure over $400 million dollars in verdicts and settlements on behalf of more than 10,000 victimized consumers across the nation. Mark concentrates his practice primarily in federal courts, in the areas of Fair Debt Collection, Fair Credit Reporting, False Employment/Background Checks, Identity Theft, Unwanted Auto Calls and Texts, and Consumer Class Actions.

In October 2018, Mark was awarded the 2018 Consumer Attorney of the Year award from the National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA). NACA is a nationwide organization of more than 1,500 consumer attorneys and advocates who represent the victims of abusive and fraudulent business practices. He has been consistently voted and named one of Pennsylvania’s Super Lawyers by Law and Politics published by Philadelphia Magazine and Pennsylvania Super Lawyer Magazine from 2004 to the Present. Mark has repeatedly lectured before judges, lawyers and various professional organizations on the topics of Fair Debt Collection and Fair Credit Reporting litigation and has also appeared on various news programs to discuss trending consumer issues.

Mark is a graduate of Muhlenberg College (B.A. magna cum laude, 1991), where he was also inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. He received his law degree from the Temple University School of Law (J.D., 1995). While at Temple Law School, he achieved the highest grade in his Trial Advocacy clinic.

Mark is admitted to practice before the United States for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Eastern District of Arkansas, District of North Dakota, and District of New Jersey as well as the state courts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He has also successfully litigated cases across the country on a pro hac basis. Mark has been certified to serve as class counsel by state and federal courts in both contested and settlement class actions.

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]]> John Soumilas https://www.consumerlawfirm.com/john-soumilas/ Mon, 06 Jan 2020 21:16:51 +0000 https://creditreportproblems.com/xdevx/?post_type=people&p=10285 JOHN SOUMILAS is a partner of the firm.  His primary office is located in Philadelphia. A seasoned litigator, John has represented thousands of consumers in individual cases and class actions, with career settlements and verdicts valued at more than $180M. He currently represents persons defamed and otherwise harmed by credit reporting, employment background and tenant

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]]> JOHN SOUMILAS is a partner of the firm.  His primary office is located in Philadelphia. A seasoned litigator, John has represented thousands of consumers in individual cases and class actions, with career settlements and verdicts valued at more than $180M. He currently represents persons defamed and otherwise harmed by credit reporting, employment background and tenant screening errors, victims of identity theft, students and student loan borrowers, individuals harassed and deceived by collectors and other businesses, as well as consumers who are subjected to unwelcome invasions of their privacy, overcharging, and other deceptive trade practices.

John has been repeatedly recognized by Philadelphia Magazine as a “SuperLawyer,” a recognition received by only 5% of attorneys in Pennsylvania. He has been nationally recognized for his work in protecting consumer rights under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Throughout his career, John has obtained some of the highest consumer jury verdicts, including the highest known FCRA verdicts in Pennsylvania, California, and Michigan, and has been appointed by federal judges as class counsel in some of the largest FCRA class cases and settlements.

John lives in Philadelphia with his wife and has four adult children. John is a 1994 cum laude graduate of Rutgers University, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. He also holds a master’s degree in American history from Stony Brook University, obtained in 1996. John received his law degree cum laude from the Temple University Beasley School of Law in 1999, where he was a member of the Temple Law Review. He began his legal career by clerking for Justice Russell M. Nigro of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

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]]> Lauren KW Brennan https://www.consumerlawfirm.com/lauren-kw-brennan.html Mon, 06 Jan 2020 21:15:30 +0000 https://creditreportproblems.com/xdevx/?post_type=people&p=10279 LAUREN KW BRENNAN is a partner in the firm. Lauren is a zealous consumer advocate and skilled litigator who has spent her entire career seeking to vindicate the rights of consumers. She concentrates her practice on class action litigation on behalf of consumers harmed by credit reporting errors, inaccurate employment background screening, abusive debt collection practices,

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]]> LAUREN KW BRENNAN is a partner in the firm. Lauren is a zealous consumer advocate and skilled litigator who has spent her entire career seeking to vindicate the rights of consumers. She concentrates her practice on class action litigation on behalf of consumers harmed by credit reporting errors, inaccurate employment background screening, abusive debt collection practices, and other unfair and fraudulent trade practices. Lauren lives in West Philadelphia with her husband and two children.

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]]> David A. Searles https://www.consumerlawfirm.com/david-searles.html Mon, 06 Jan 2020 21:07:43 +0000 https://creditreportproblems.com/xdevx/?post_type=people&p=10283 DAVID A. SEARLES, of counsel to the firm, is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Third, Fourth and Sixth Circuits, and the United States District Courts for the District of Maryland, the District of Colorado, the Northern District of Oklahoma, and Eastern

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]]> DAVID A. SEARLES, of counsel to the firm, is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Third, Fourth and Sixth Circuits, and the United States District Courts for the District of Maryland, the District of Colorado, the Northern District of Oklahoma, and Eastern and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania, as well as the state courts of Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of the American University School of Law, Washington, D.C., where he served on law review.

Following graduation from law school, Mr. Searles was an attorney for Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, where he specialized in consumer and bankruptcy law. In 1990, he successfully argued the first consumer reorganization bankruptcy case considered by the U.S. Supreme Court, Pennsylvania v. Davenport, 495 U.S. 552 (1990), and has served as lead counsel and presented arguments in numerous consumer law cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. From 1992 through 1997, Mr. Searles was associated with the Philadelphia law firm of Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, where his practice focused on Chapter 11 bankruptcy and creditors’ rights. Thereafter, he was a member of Donovan Searles, LLC until 2011, specializing in consumer class action litigation.

In 2005, Mr. Searles was awarded the Equal Justice Award at the Community Legal Services Breakfast of Champions for his role in directing funding for legal assistance for low-income residents of Philadelphia. Mr. Searles has served as the Pennsylvania contributor to Survey of State Class Action Law (ABA Section of Litigation – 2010), and as a contributing author of Pennsylvania Consumer Law (2010). He has taught advanced bankruptcy law at the Rutgers University School of Law – Camden, business law at Widener University and bankruptcy law at Pierce Junior College, Philadelphia. He is a past co-chairperson of the Education Committee of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Conference. Mr. Searles has been named a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer for many years.

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]]> Geoffrey H. Baskerville https://www.consumerlawfirm.com/geoffrey-h-baskerville/ Mon, 06 Jan 2020 20:58:33 +0000 https://creditreportproblems.com/xdevx/?post_type=people&p=10281 GEOFFREY H. BASKERVILLE is a 1982 graduate of Gettysburg College and a 1992 graduate of the Dickinson School of Law. During law school, Geoffrey published an article entitled Human Gene Therapy: Application, Ethics and Regulation in the Dickinson Law Review, Vol. 96, No. 4. Since graduating from law school, Geoffrey has worked for both plaintiff

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]]> GEOFFREY H. BASKERVILLE is a 1982 graduate of Gettysburg College and a 1992 graduate of the Dickinson School of Law. During law school, Geoffrey published an article entitled Human Gene Therapy: Application, Ethics and Regulation in the Dickinson Law Review, Vol. 96, No. 4.

Since graduating from law school, Geoffrey has worked for both plaintiff and defense litigation firms practicing in the areas of medical malpractice, architect’s and engineer’s malpractice, the Federal Employer’s Liability Act, and trucking litigation. In 2007, Geoffrey joined Francis Mailman Soumilas P.C. and began to practice in the area of consumer protection litigation, including fair credit reporting and fair debt collection.

Since that time, Geoffrey has concentrated his practice on representing consumers in cases under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and other consumer statutes. He has represented clients in cases against background screening companies, credit reporting agencies, banks, credit card companies and other financial institutions. Geoffrey is admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania, the District of New Jersey, the Eastern District of Michigan, the District of Colorado, the Western District of Texas, the Central District of Illinois, and the District of New Mexico, as well as the state courts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Geoffrey is an avid amateur photographer.

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]]> Joseph Gentilcore https://www.consumerlawfirm.com/joseph-gentilcore.html Mon, 06 Jan 2020 20:25:40 +0000 https://creditreportproblems.com/xdevx/?post_type=people&p=10272 JOSEPH GENTILCORE is a passionate advocate for every one of his clients, and truly believes in the work that he does. Joseph focuses his practice on Fair Credit Reporting Act cases and other consumer protection matters under both state and federal law. He currently represents consumers in cases against credit card companies, banks, debt collectors,

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]]> JOSEPH GENTILCORE is a passionate advocate for every one of his clients, and truly believes in the work that he does. Joseph focuses his practice on Fair Credit Reporting Act cases and other consumer protection matters under both state and federal law. He currently represents consumers in cases against credit card companies, banks, debt collectors, mortgage servicers and background check companies. Joseph has dedicated the majority of his career to representing individuals who have been wronged by large financial entities, and along the way has helped thousands of consumers obtain compensation from the corporations that have harmed them. As a result of Joseph’s specialties, he has given lectures on various topics, including background checks, credit reporting inaccuracies, and mortgage fraud.

Joseph graduated Ursinus College, and Temple University School of Law.

Joseph has been lead counsel in over 300 individual federal consumer protection cases, and appointed class counsel in consumer protection matters. Every year since 2013, Joseph has been named a Super Lawyer or Rising Star by Pennsylvania Super Lawyers. Joseph is licensed to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and is admitted in numerous federal courts throughout the country.

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]]> Siobhán McGreal https://www.consumerlawfirm.com/siobhan-mcgreal.html Mon, 03 Jun 2019 00:43:11 +0000 https://creditreportproblems.com/xdevx/?post_type=people&p=10277 SIOBHÁN MCGREAL joined Francis Mailman Soumilas, P.C. in 2021, and concentrates her advocacy on behalf of consumers harmed by credit reporting errors, inaccurate background screening reports for employment and housing applications, and other abusive and unfair trade practices. Siobhán has dedicated the majority of her career to helping those who have had difficulty having their

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]]> SIOBHÁN MCGREAL joined Francis Mailman Soumilas, P.C. in 2021, and concentrates her advocacy on behalf of consumers harmed by credit reporting errors, inaccurate background screening reports for employment and housing applications, and other abusive and unfair trade practices. Siobhán has dedicated the majority of her career to helping those who have had difficulty having their voices heard within the legal system.

Prior to joining FMS, Siobhán was a Deputy City Solicitor in the Child Welfare Unit of the City of Philadelphia Law Department, where she litigated thousands of hearings of child abuse, child neglect, applications for orders of protective custody, permanent legal custodianship, and terminations of parental rights.  She started her law career as an attorney for the Administration of Children’s Services in Brooklyn, NY, before moving to Southern California and working in private practice for several years.  Siobhán earned her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and her J.D. from New York Law School after teaching English in Thailand for a short time.  She has been admitted to practice in the state courts of Pennsylvania, California, and New York, as well as before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

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]]> William Cooper https://www.consumerlawfirm.com/william-cooper/ Sun, 02 Jun 2019 00:20:55 +0000 https://www.consumerlawfirm.com/xxCRPdevxx/?post_type=people&p=11577 WILLIAM COOPER joined Francis Mailman Soumilas, P.C. right after law school so he could dedicate his career to fighting for consumers who have been harmed by unfair business practices. At FMS, Will represents consumers against a variety of corporations, including background check companies, credit bureaus, banks, and credit card companies. Will has been an advocate for

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]]> WILLIAM COOPER joined Francis Mailman Soumilas, P.C. right after law school so he could dedicate his career to fighting for consumers who have been harmed by unfair business practices. At FMS, Will represents consumers against a variety of corporations, including background check companies, credit bureaus, banks, and credit card companies.

Will has been an advocate for underdogs since he first entered the legal world. Before coming to FMS, he worked for a non-profit housing law project where he protected low-income tenants in disputes with their landlords. Following that, he was a part of the legal services plan offered to members of a union for municipal employees, before joining a firm representing victims of catastrophic personal injuries and medical malpractice.

Will obtained his B.S. from Northeastern University and his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School, where he was an editor for the Brooklyn Journal of International Law and a member of the legal honor society Phi Delta Phi.  He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania state court as well as before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

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]]> Erika Heath https://www.consumerlawfirm.com/erika-heath/ Sun, 21 Apr 2019 00:19:41 +0000 https://www.consumerlawfirm.com/xxCRPdevxx/?post_type=people&p=11882 ERIKA HEATH joined Francis Mailman Soumilas, P.C. in 2020, and focuses her San Francisco practice on individual and class action litigation for consumers harmed by erroneous credit reports, inaccurate employee background checks, unlawful debt collection practices, and other unfair trade practices. Erika is a 2002 graduate of Southern Methodist University, where she majored in business.

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]]> ERIKA HEATH joined Francis Mailman Soumilas, P.C. in 2020, and focuses her San Francisco practice on individual and class action litigation for consumers harmed by erroneous credit reports, inaccurate employee background checks, unlawful debt collection practices, and other unfair trade practices.

Erika is a 2002 graduate of Southern Methodist University, where she majored in business. She worked in finance in both Texas and Germany before earning her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law in 2009. After graduating, Erika got her start as an attorney at Atlanta Legal Aid Society, where she focused on protecting low-income consumers from abusive business practices.

Both during her time as a legal aid attorney and after, Erika has participated in a number of high-profile cases. She served as lead counsel on the case of Strickland v. Alexander, which ultimately led to a federal court declaring Georgia’s garnishment process to be unconstitutional and enjoining most consumer garnishments in the state. As a result of her work on the Strickland case, Erika received numerous awards, including the 2015 Consumer Achievement of the Year award from the National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA). In the summer of 2017, she served as co-counsel in the trial of Bowerman v. Field Asset Services, Inc. (N.D. Cal.), which led to a jury verdict of more than $2 million for 11 employees who were misclassified as independent contractors. She is currently a lecturer at University of California, Berkeley (BerkeleyLaw), where she teaches a course on the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Erika moved with her family to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2015. She is licensed to practice in California, Georgia, and New York. She is an active member of the National Association of Consumer Advocates.

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