Meet Sonya

Sonya Smith-Valentine, Esq.A powerful keynote speaker and in-demand consultant, Sonya Smith-Valentine has “been there and done that”.  A former victim of identity theft, her experience has made her even more passionate about educating students, individuals and corporations about protecting their identity, understanding consumer protection laws, and personal finance literacy.  A Certified Identity Protection Advisor (CIPA), Sonya is devoted to helping people understand the importance of consumer protection laws and their impact on everyone’s personal and professional lives.

Sonya blends her experience as a persuasive practicing attorney with her energetic speaking style to enlighten and inspire her audiences.  Her presentations are rich with ideas, suggestions and stories which have made her a sought after speaker by colleges and corporations.  Audiences walk away with the knowledge, resources and tools needed to change their approach to handling most personal finance, identity theft, and consumer protection issues.

Sonya is often sought out by the media.  She has appeared on the alphabet of networks – ABC, CBS, and NBC as the “go to” person on identity theft, personal finance and consumer rights issues. Profiled or quoted because of her extensive knowledge, she has appeared in The Washington Post, USA Today, Black Enterprise Magazine, and The Baltimore Sun.   Sonya is also written a number of articles on credit and debt law.

A licensed attorney, Sonya also founded the Valentine Legal Group, LLC which focuses on identity theft, credit reporting errors and other personal finance disputes.  Combining her 15+ years of experience, first as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and now as an attorney, she developed a reputation as a fierce and unrelenting representative of her client’s interests.  Her expertise on credit and debt laws include the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), and the Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA), among others.  Sonya has had a successful legal career winning cases against credit bureaus, credit card companies, banks and collection agencies for unlawful activity.