Janet Varnell

2024 Vern Countryman

Janet Varnell is the managing partner of Varnell & Warwick. The 2024 winner of NCLC’s prestigious Vern Countryman Award, she is an expert expert in consumer class actions, she also handles civil rights, worker’s rights, environmental protection, and other high-impact public interest litigation. She has prosecuted a variety of multi-million-dollar disputes with governmental entities and companies such as AT&T, Bank of America, General Electric Capital Corp., Home Depot, Mercedes Benz, State Farm Insurance, and Sallie Mae. 

Varnell serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Public Justice and on the Partners Council of NCLC, and she is the former Co-Chair of the National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA). She has co-authored numerous amicus briefs on behalf of public interest organizations and consumer groups and has also litigated cases with those organizations on a wide range of matters from consumer fraud to human trafficking. Her professional experience beyond law practice includes serving in the U.S. Army, where she was awarded several medals before the age of 21. 

“For three decades, Janet has inspired everyone around her with her passion for protecting consumers and advancing the consumer law community, and she is enormously deserving of this prestigious award,” said Richard Dubois, executive director of the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC). “She’s a tenacious and creative litigator who has never shied away from pursuing novel legal strategies to protect consumers from greed and abusive practices. With her trademark energy and optimism, she is a visionary leader and an exceptional advocate. And, on top of her successful law practice, nobody has done more than Janet to support and mentor other consumer attorneys.” 

Richard Dubois, executive director of the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC)