Eric Halperin is the Special Counsel for Fair Lending in the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department where he oversees the Division's fair housing and fair lending enforcement program and serves as an advisor to the Assistant Attorney General on lending issues. From 2004 until January 2010, Eric was at the Center for Responsible Lending, a national policy, research, and litigation organization whose mission is to eliminate abusive financial practices. Eric was the Director of CRL's Washington office, where he managed the litigation program and CRL's advocacy on various policy issues. This marks Eric's second stint at the Department of Justice. From 1998-2004, Eric was a trial attorney in the Housing and Civil Enforcement Section of Civil Rights Division, working primarily on litigation to enforce the Fair Housing Act. Eric received his B.A. from Wesleyan University and his J.D. from Harvard Law School.