Her first client got a $3,000 “line of credit” from a car-title lender with an interest rate of 300 percent. In just six months the woman has already had to pay back $5,000 — with just $16 going to the principal, the rest to interest.

For University of Richmond law student Miriam Sincell, her client’s predicament is an example of the sort of case she hopes to devote her career to.