Bureau of Consumer Protection
If you exercise your right to receive a free credit report, use the National Do Not Call Registry to block unwanted telemarketing calls, or refer to product warranties, care labels in your clothes, or stickers showing the energy costs of home appliances, you are taking advantage of laws enforced by the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection (BCP).
The Bureau of Consumer Protection works to protect consumers against unfair, deceptive, or fraudulent practices in the marketplace. The Bureau conducts investigations, sues companies and people who violate the law, develops rules to protect consumers, and educates consumers and businesses about their rights and responsibilities. The Bureau also collects complaints about consumer fraud and identity theft and makes them available to law enforcement agencies across the country.
The Bureau of Consumer Protection is divided into seven divisions and programs, each with its own areas of expertise: Advertising Practices, Consumer and Business Education, Enforcement, Financial Practices, Marketing Practices, Planning and Information, and Privacy and Identity Protection.
“My coworkers are genuinely interested in making my time at the FTC as rewarding and substantive as possible. Because of this exceptionally supportive and encouraging work environment, both the substance of my work and the satisfaction I derive from it has far exceeded my expectations. I will leave the FTC next year confident in my decision to attend law school, and with the ambition to always find myself a member of as wonderful a legal community as I have found here.” -- Jillian McFarland |
BCP Honors Paralegals
As an Honors Paralegal in the Bureau of Consumer Protection, you will be exposed to a diverse work experience
in a hands-on and collegial environment. BCP Honors Paralegals provide support to attorneys and investigators in
all of the divisions within the Bureau. Most Honors Paralegals will therefore have the opportunity to work on a wide variety of cutting-edge cases and policy-related projects. These might include telemarketing scams, unfair debt collection, pyramid schemes, bogus diet pills, or identity theft.
BCP Honors Paralegals assist with all aspects of FTC cases, from investigation to litigation. Honors Paralegals within the Bureau of Consumer Protection are teamed with attorneys
and investigators to conduct investigations into particular unfair or deceptive practices and may, among other assignments, review consumer complaints, interview
potential witnesses, assess fraudulent trends, conduct
online research, assist in litigation preparation, or analyze financial data.
BCP Honors Paralegals also have the opportunity to work on policy or consumer and business education initiatives. BCP Honors Paralegals are often called upon to assist with conferences and workshops on current issues, such as childhood obesity, behavioral marketing, spam email, or broadband internet. Honors Paralegals may, among other assignments, perform market research, correspond with panelists, or create print or online conference materials.
For more about the work performed by the Bureau of Consumer Protection, click here.
