Debra K. Lumpkins / Missouri

Debra K. Lumpkins represents consumers against unlawful debt collections, as well as in other consumer protection matters such as credit reporting issues, predatory mortgage lending, automobile fraud and other consumer finance matters. Ms. Lumpkins files cases against debt collectors in both Missouri federal districts, in the Southern District of Illinois and in the Eastern District of Oklahoma. She practices in state court only in the St. Louis area.

Experience

Ms. Lumpkins joined Gateway Legal Services, Inc. in December, 2003 to open and expand their Consumer Law Unit. Prior to joining Gateway, she was in private practice in Oklahoma, where her practice concentrated in consumer finance matters. She has been a legal aid staff attorney, municipal attorney, general counsel for a manufacturing company, and adjunct faculty member teaching business law and government regulation to BA and MBA students. She has been honored with a variety of pro bono service awards.

Education

Ms. Lumpkins received a B.A. with highest distinction from the University of Kansas in 1985, majoring in and receiving departmental honors in both History and American Studies. She received her J.D. two years later from the University of Kansas School of Law. She is admitted to practice law in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma, and in the federal courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri, the Southern District of Illinois and the Eastern District of Oklahoma. Ms. Lumpkins does not currently practice in Kansas and is on inactive status in that jurisdiction, nor does she practice in Oklahoma state courts at the present time.

Professional and Community Activities

Ms. Lumpkins is the Missouri state coordinator for the National Association of Consumer Advocates, a member of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, and a graduate of the National Institute of Trial Advocacy. She is a member of the St. Louis Coalition to Promote Reputable Lending, a member of the "Experience Panel" of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis' Lawyer's Referral Service, and a member of both the Missouri and Oklahoma Bar Associations. She is a frequent public speaker in the area of debt collection law, credit reporting, and predatory mortgage lending both to the public and to various continuing legal education programs offered to attorneys in Missouri and Oklahoma. She frequently assists other consumer advocates in an effort to protect the rights of more consumers.

Ms. Lumpkins has received, and continues to receive, extensive education and training in up-to-date consumer matters throughout the country, attending numerous conferences offered by the National Consumer Law Center and the National Association of Consumer Advocates, as well as courses offered by the Oklahoma and Missouri state bar associations and the National Institute of Trial Advocacy.