Jody Thomas Lopez Jacobs
Born and raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Jody Thomas López-Jacobs grew up in a diverse household that stressed the importance of social and economic justice for all. After working his way through high school and college, Mr. López-Jacobs joined an employment law firm where he helped workers fight for unpaid wages, safe work conditions, and equal treatment on the job.
His passion for the law and helping others took him to Temple University Beasley School of Law, where he graduated in the top 10% of his class, interned with a state and federal judge, and won second place in a national writing competition. He also continued his pursuit for justice by investigating claims of innocence at the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, demanding unpaid wages on behalf of low and middle-income workers, and helping a local nonprofit combat corporate efforts to eliminate the right to a jury trial through mandatory arbitration agreements.
After law school, Mr. López-Jacobs clerked for the Honorable Mark A. Kearney, a federal judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Mr. López-Jacobs is well acquainted with the rules and procedures governing our federal court system.
Mr. López-Jacobs is devoted to the cause of consumers and cherishes the opportunity to help consumers enforce their rights. He believes consumers deserve to be free from harassment, deception, and other illegal conduct they are too often forced to bear. He looks forward to advocating for your rights.
Since joining the firm in 2017, Mr. Lopez-Jacobs has had great success in obtaining relief for consumers whose rights have been violated. His notable achievements include key roles in:
- Hyman v. Devlin
No. 17-00089 (W.D. Pa.)
Wrongful repossession and civil rights case where the jury awarded a verdict of $500,000 in punitive damage against a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper for unlawfully aiding in the repossession of a consumer's vehicle, in violation of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. - Droney v. Vivnt Solar
2018 WL 6191887 (D.N.J. Nov. 28, 2018)
Door-to Door sales solar panel seller must fact trial on whether it defrauded consumer refusing to enforce arbitration clause that waives the right to a jury trial. - Shaw v. Law Office of Hayt Hayt & Landau
2018 WL 1634829 (D.N.J. Apr. 5, 2018)
Debt collector must face trial over whether it maliciously used/abused the court system to unlawfully garnish consumers' ban accounts on debts that belonged to someone else. - Guzman v. HOVG, LLC
340 F. Supp. 3d 526 (E.D. Pa. 2018)
Debt collection letter misled consumers as to their rights under federal law.
Mr. López-Jacobs is a member of the National Association of Consumer Advocates.
Education
J.D., Temple University Beasley School of Law
Magna cum laude
Order of the Coif
Rubin Public Interest Law Honor Society, Fellow
Temple Law Review (2014-2015), Research Editor
Beasley Scholarship Recipient
B.A., Sociology, Millersville University of Pennsylvania
Dean's List
Publications
Cole et al., A Changing Landscape: Pennsylvania Counties Reevaluate Policies on Immigration Detainers (2015) /assets/Uploads/b07f2e0344/a-changing-landscape.pdf.
Jody Thomas López-Jacobs, Comment, Is There a Border Exception to the Exclusionary Rule? 87 Temp. L Rev. 611 (2015)
Jody Thomas López-Jacobs, Who Owns the Tips (2014),
/assets/Uploads/04157b6ad8/Jody-20Lopez-Jacobs-20paper-20revised.pdf
Bar Admissions
Pennsylvania
New Jersey
Awards and Honors
American Bar Association, Section of Labor & Employment
Writing Competition - Second Place- 2014
Nat N. Wolfsohn Memorial Award in Real Property - 2015
Judicial Internship Opportunity Program
Award Recipient - 2013
Associations
Pennsylvania Bar Association
Montgomery Bar Association
National Association of Consumer Advocates
Presentations
2018
Superior Court of Pennsylvania En Banc Arguments
Hosted and summarized the review of important cases to be argued before all nine judges of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania
2017
Debt Collection
Financial Literacy & Entrepreneurial Empowerment Symposium
Temple University, 9/29/17
Admitted to Practice
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
