Irv Ackelsberg joined the firm in September 2006.  A prominent public interest lawyer, Irv practiced for 30 years with Community Legal Services, Inc. (“CLS”) of Philadelphia.  At CLS, Irv led its consumer law work. He is an expert in the areas of consumer credit, foreclosure defense, bankruptcy, and consumer fraud. Irv has been the recipient of the Philadelphia Bar Association's Andrew Hamilton Award for exemplary service in the public interest, and the prestigious Vern Countryman Award from the National Consumer Law Center, for his lifetime achievement on behalf of low-income consumers. 

See http://www.nclc.org/award/index.shtml. He is a contributing author of the Pennsylvania Consumer Law treatise.

During the last fifteen years, Irv concentrated much of his attention on combating the practices of the subprime mortgage industry, combining a high-volume home-defense practice with creative, complex litigation and legislative/administrative advocacy.  In the area of foreclosure defense, Irv has pioneered many ground-breaking approaches.  See, e.g., Fleet Real Estate Funding v. Smith, 530 A.2d 919 (1987) (equitable defense based on lender’s violation of FHA servicing guidelines); Newton v. United Cos. Fin. Corp., 24 F.Supp.2d 444 (E.D. Pa. 1998) (first reported case to apply TILA rescission remedy to violation of special notice requirements applicable to high-cost mortgages and approving cause of action under ECOA for lender’s bait-and-switch application and closing practices); Green Tree Consumer Discount Co. v. Newton, 909 A.2d 811 (Pa. Super. 2006) (narrowing earlier decision that had limited defenses to foreclosure; approving as defenses that mortgagor had not knowingly conveyed mortgage and that financed home improvements were not done as promised).  Irv has appeared before the United States Senate and the Federal Reserve Board as an expert on mortgage abuse, and advised state agencies on reform strategies. 

At Langer, Grogan & Diver, Irv continues to represent victims of predatory financial services, including several statewide class actions against payday lenders and debt collectors. 

Irv is also a well-known community leader.  He has represented neighborhood groups in community development issues, including efforts to keep state-authorized gambling casinos out of residential neighborhoods. In 2009, he led the successful litigation strategy that saved eleven neighborhood branches of the Free Library of Philadelphia from being closed as part of a municipal budget-cutting plan. 

Irv is a member of the National Association of Consumer Advocates and of the Philadelphia Bar Association.