by Liz Daube
Staff Writer
After a 27-year career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and 10 more years of “retirement,” Bill Schmidt is finally getting to combine his two career passions: investigation and law.
He was in his second year of law school when a friend got him interested in the FBI. Schmidt left school to start his career in criminal investigation, which took him to New York, New Orleans, California, Puerto Rico, Boston, Washington, D.C. and, finally, Jacksonville. He managed to finish his law degree at Suffolk University in 1978, but he never got the chance to really use it – until now.
Schmidt is the newest addition to Jacksonville Area Legal Aid’s predatory lending unit. He’ll serve JALA for the next two years as a National Consumer Law Center fellow, one of only eight selected nationwide.
“The idea was to add an extra attorney so this unit wouldn’t be as tied down,” said Schmidt.
“It’s a very complicated area of law ... and it’s very busy here. Lynn (Drysdale) works until 10 at night and comes in on weekends.”
JALA consumer law attorneys Drysdale and April Charney are literally swamped with foreclosure and predatory lending cases. Nearly every surface in Charney’s office is covered with piles of papers and files, save a narrow path to her desk.
She said Jacksonville ranks seventh in the country for foreclosures, and aggressive, misleading loan and mortgage organizations have contributed to the problem. Schmidt’s goal is to help JALA address these issues using his law enforcement and investigation skills along with his knowledge of the law.
“That’s what really attracted us to him: his law enforcement background. He’s creating dossiers of some of these organizations so we can convince some of the law enforcement that this is just another form of violence,” said Charney. “We’re really hoping to develop good outreach and networking so we look at these people as the economic predators they are.”
Schmidt said he’s looking forward to finally using his J.D. degree on a few cases. Otherwise, he’s spending his time talking with law enforcement and community groups. He said dialogue and research will help him better understand consumer law issues and eventually create an education and outreach program or coalition.
“I’m trying to develop a meaningful mix. I’ve got to get out there and get more input,” said Schmidt. “It’s not a one person thing, it’s a community effort.
“I’ve talked to Sheriff (John) Rutherford two or three times this week already,” Schmidt continued. “He’s interested, too, because these foreclosures and practices are bad for the neighborhoods. Empty houses attract vandalism and crime. He believes if you have stable housing, you have less crime.”
Schmidt’s FBI background means most of his experience relates to criminal matters, and he’s worked on financial crime squads before. He said part of his work with JALA will be looking at similar cases, such as mortgage fraud.
His current job is still a major departure from his previous career. Schmidt said investigators work on a variety of cases at once. His experiences with the FBI range from working 55 hours without sleep to arresting escaped convicts on a robbing spree to donning a pilot’s uniform in attempts to stop a plane from being highjacked.
Schmidt’s legal endeavors might not provide the same sort of cinematic action, but he said the work means a lot to him.
“It (law) was something I always wanted to. I’d always been intrigued,” he said. “I thought it (predatory lending) was a worthwhile issue. I just hope I can contribute something.”