Grace Pazdan, 2008-2010 Poverty Law Fellow

In November 2008, Grace B. Pazdan became the first Vermont Poverty Law Fellow. The focus of her two-year fellowship was on the foreclosure crisis in Vermont. During her tenure, Grace provided a wide range of legal services to low and moderate-income Vermonters facing foreclosure, ranging from from full representation in court to counsel over the phone. Grace also brought predatory lending claims on behalf of Vermont homeowners harmed by unscrupulous lenders and mortgage servicers.

In addition to representing individual homeowners, Grace engaged in a variety of outreach and advocacy projects aimed at stemming the tide of foreclosures in the state and strengthening consumer protections for Vermont homeowners. For example, in collaboration with the Vermont Attorney General’s Office, she advocated for legislation that would mandate mediation in all foreclosure cases.

Grace’s efforts also extended to connect Vermont homeowners with the legal resources they needed to litigate foreclosure disputes.  She worked to increase the number of Vermont attorneys trained in foreclosure defense. And she collaborated with the Vermont Volunteer Lawyers Project and the Vermont Bar Association to ensure that Vermonters in need could find competent, effective representation.

In March 2010, Grace was interviewed by Vermont Public Radio about the rising rate of foreclosures in Vermont. Today, she works as a Staff Attorney with Vermont Legal Aid’s Burlington Office, specializing in foreclosure defense, consumer law, and predatory lending litigation.