The Consumer Law Group, P.C.
5905 West Broad Street, Suite 303
Richmond, Va. 23230
Phone: 804-282-7900
Fax: 804-673-0316
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John Cole Gayle, Jr.: Consumer Law Pioneer

A lifelong resident of Virginia, John Cole Gayle, Jr., attended Hampden Sydney College. After graduating cum laude with a B.A. in 1976, John attended T.C. Williams Law School at the University of Richmond, where he won the Barnett Moot Court Competition and was a member of the school's National Moot Court team. He passed the Virginia Bar in 1979.

As a young attorney, John began working for the legal concerns of everyday people, quickly discovering that many laws left those who needed legal help the most with little legal recourse against wealthy corporate defendants.

Beginning in 1986, John began to question those laws publicly, publishing a series of articles addressing Virginia's existing Lemon Laws. The articles challenged the many flaws and biases in Lemon Laws, focusing on the severe legal disadvantages that auto buying consumers faced when confronted with the purchase of poorly built new cars or badly maintained used cars. John argued that the time, money, and risk required to pursue justice under the Lemon Laws were prohibitive for consumers and attorneys alike. Too often, Virginians who sought justice after making a bad car purchase did so in futility, ending up stuck not only with a bad car, but also with unwarranted legal expenses.

John's article sparked an intense review of Lemon Laws in Virginia's legal community, building momentum for new and more effective legislation. In 1988, John co-authored Virginia's new lemon law, known as the Motor Vehicle Warranty Enforcement Act, with the invaluable assistance of Delegate Alan Diamonstein of Newport News, which was quickly accepted by the Virginia Legislature. John's amendments were founded on fairness and built on his belief that consumers should always get what they pay for. If they didn't, then the legal system was obliged to provide consumers with legal safeguards to attain customer satisfaction, hold car dealers accountable, and encourage attorneys to offer consumers quality representation.

The new legislation accomplished many of these goals. John has since authored new amendments to Virginia's Lemon Law (1990 and 1998), and was involved in the important amendments to the Virginia Consumer Protection Act in 1995, further broadening and strengthening the legal rights of consumers. He is recognized as Virginia's premier Lemon Law expert and conducts training and seminars on this subject and on other consumer issues to legal and industry professionals throughout Virginia and the United States. In addition, John has continued to write articles on Virginia's Lemon Laws for various periodicals, and has testified before the subcommittee of the Virginia General Assembly hearing proposed amendments to the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. John is a frequent lecturer and instructor for Virginia continuing legal education (CLE) programs, and also lectured on miscellaneous automobile issues at the 1998, 1999, and 2004 Annual Consumer Rights Conference, sponsored by the National Consumer Law Center, and at the 2003 and 2004 National Association of Consumer Advocates Mid-Year Conference. John has appeared on local TV and radio on numerous occasions, and is a past and current chairman of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association Sub-committee on Consumer Law.

In 1991, John became a sole practitioner with the law firm of Kane, Jeffries, & Gayle in Richmond, VA and continued to build an impressive record of settlements, winning verdicts for his many clients in lemon law, fraud, and other areas. After 20 years of helping Richmond area consumers come out ahead in thousands of cases that resulted in financial settlements and awards, John founded The Consumer Law Group in 2003 to extend his unique expertise to consumers throughout Virginia. Along with Lemon Law, John also represents clients in other areas of consumer law, such as automobile fraud, credit report abuse, identity theft, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and Truth In Lending litigation. He also represents victims of personal injuries due to auto accidents .

John resides in Richmond and is married with a daughter and a son. He enjoys mountain climbing, biking, tennis, and dancing.

• 1976-1979 T. C. Williams School of Law
• University of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia
• Honors: Winner, Barnett Moot Court Competition
• National Moot Court Team
• Author of Law Review Article accepted for publication
• 1976 Hampden-Sydney College, cum laude; B.A. History

• Current Chairman Legislation Committee For Consumer Law Virginia Trial Lawyers Association

• National Association Of Consumer Advocates. 1999 - present. State Coordinator for Virginia. NACA is an association of about 700 consumer attorneys and advocates whose purpose is to provide technical assistance to its members and to serve as a voice for consumers in the cause of consumer rights and protection.

• February 25, 2005 - appeared on ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings and commented arbitration clauses in consumer contracts
• Legal advisor on Virginia's lemon law to the Chairman of the General Laws Committee of the Virginia House of Delegates and primary author of the 1988 and 1990, Amendments to the Virginia Motor Vehicle Warranty Enforcement Act, §59.1-207 - 207.16 et seq. Code of Virginia (1950).
• Virginia's Lemon Law: More Bark Than Bite?, Virginia Bar News.
• Virginia's Lemon Law: Dealing With The Sour Aftertaste, Virginia Bar News.
• How To Evaluate A Claim Under Virginia's Lemon Law, The Journal, Virginia Trial Lawyers Association.

• Virginia Trial Lawyers Association
• Virginia State Bar Association; Virginia Trial Lawyer Association; Henrico County Bar Association; Richmond Trial Lawyer Association; former member of the Virginia Creditors Bar Association

• Admitted to practice in 1979
• Admitted to practice: The Supreme Court Of Virginia; United States Court Of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit; United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia ; United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia; United States Bankruptcy Court

• St. Stephen's Episcopal Church
• Adult Christian Education Committee at St. Stephens
• Past vestry at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church