The Texas Attorney General’s Office announced on Friday that Rick Berlin and Stephanie Eberhardt, assistant attorneys general in the Consumer Protection Division, have received the Rising Star award from the National Consumer Law Center.
NCLC selected Berlin and Eberhardt for their work prosecuting the owner of Samra Portfolio Management, a debt collection agency, for taking advantage of unsuspecting Texans, according to the Texas AG’s Office press release. The two attorneys obtained a $25 million judgment for the State of Texas in a case that lasted four years.
“It’s gratifying that Rick and Stephanie’s hard work and persistence to deter and halt unlawful debt collection practices have been recognized on a national level,” Consumer Protection Division Chief Paul Singer said in the announcement. “This was truly a team effort by our office to help protect consumers, which is an essential function of the attorney general’s office.”
The Rising Star award honors attorneys who’ve practiced law 15 or fewer years and have made major contributions to consumer law by trying or settling a case of significance.