Unblocker of legal or policy problems. Experienced with lending, data, banking, fintech and edtech, and regulatory relations. Formerly a CFPB attorney who helped set up the now-used protocols for probing, suing, or negotiating with corporations, financial institutions, or high-level execs. Law firm leader having served as partner in AmLaw 100 firms. Served on Strategic Advisory Committee and Women’s Equity Partner working group. Mentored several income partners, associates, counsel, and staff in my 17-year career. Led a team that won an asylum trial for a family of 4 from Mexico who were victims of drug-related violence, staving off the death penalty at trial for a 26-year old female client, and bringing perpetrators to justice in a human trafficking civil litigation for a client from Ethiopia. I am honored to have opportunities to use my legal skills to give back in ways that matter. I am similarly passionate about helping individuals see and reach for their full potential. When starting consumer financial practices and fintech groups in private practice or assisting the CFPB with build-out of its enforcement functions, we used emphasis on doing the legal business in a new way – less busy work, more results-focused, and acted as external counsel who was intimately involved in business. Our approach has landed good results, including these examples:

• Sensible resolutions by CFPB, FTC, state attorneys general, or DFPI on legal or regulatory issues that presented existential crises.
• Strengthened and maintained positive relationships between clients and regulators or House/Senate on issues involving consumer protection.
• Helped improve clients corporate compliance programs and regulatory engagement strategy.
• Assisted on thorny issues involving payments and e-commerce or electronic funds transfers.
• Acknowledged as national thought leader; regularly interviewed by or quoted in articles from national media publications like Bloomberg, Forbes, American Banker, Politico, and others.
• Recognized by clients for business acumen and leadership across client’s units (compliance, legal, risk, business lines, marketing, product) as we sought to resolve regulatory, policy, or litigation issues.

My product expertise includes: credit reporting, originations and servicing, alternative data, AI/ML, earned wage access, bnpl, lending, payday, income share agreements, lines of credit, cards, online banking, mortgage, auto, collections, financial inclusion, credit access, and equity. Agency expertise includes CFPB, FTC, OCC, Fed, FDIC, DFPI and states.