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Womble Bond Dickinson Partner Jeff Topor will be speaking at 2026 NCBA Connect: The Annual Conference for Legal Collections.

Jeff will take part in a panel discussion titled “Debt Terminator: Rise of Non-Lawyer Representatives.” Sovereign citizens, self-styled credit repair experts, arbitration advocates, non-profit organizations, and even generative AI are all engaged in conduct that is reserved for licensed attorneys. This session will address strategies for dealing with such unauthorized practice of law and lawyers’ ethical responsibilities in such situations.

The speakers will share insights on:

  • Identifying instances of the unauthorized practice of law;
  • Understanding an attorney’s ethical obligations when confronted with UPL;
  • Developing strategies to deal with debtor’s use of non-attorney advisors and representatives; and
  • Developing strategies to deal with AI as the opposing attorney.

Joining Jeff in the discussion are attorneys Lauren Burnette of Messer Strickler Burnette, Ltd. and Manny Newburger of Barron & Newburger, P.C.

Presented by the National Creditors Bar Association, 2026 NCBA Connect takes place October 12-15 in Orlando. The National Creditors Bar Association is dedicated to serving law firms engaged in the practice of creditors’ rights law. The organization’s membership is comprised of over 300 law firms and approximately 1,700 total attorneys in the areas of creditors’ rights law, defense, and in-house counsel.