Firm Grows Consumer Financial Services Practice in New York and Washington, D.C.
NATIONAL – September 10, 2018 – Akerman LLP, a top 100 U.S. law firm serving clients across the Americas, today announced the continued expansion of the Consumer Financial Services Practice Group with partners Eric Goldberg and Erica Stein. Goldberg joins the firm from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where he served as Managing Counsel for Regulations, and Stein joins from JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., where she was Vice President and Assistant General Counsel.
“Eric and Erica are exceptional lawyers with impressive financial services backgrounds,” said William Heller, chair of the Consumer Financial Services Practice Group. “Their combined experience as a former regulator and as a former in-house counsel make them powerful additions to our national team, particularly relating to payment systems and litigation in every state and all risk levels.”
Eric Goldberg
Goldberg advises clients on a range of consumer financial services issues primarily relating to payments and fintech. His work focuses on both legacy payment systems such as debit and credit cards and emerging technologies such as mobile payments and prepaid cards. Prior to joining Akerman, Goldberg was Managing Counsel for Regulations at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where he led the agency’s payments regulatory work. At Akerman, Goldberg will concentrate on federal and state regulatory issues impacting providers of deposit accounts and emerging payment services, including prepaid cards and money transfers. He will also advise on credit products including credit cards and on fintech products such as those involving virtual currency, blockchain, and consumer data aggregation services. Relatedly, Goldberg will be evaluating UDAAP risk and counseling clients on issues arising under EFTA, TILA, TISA, EFAA, GLBA, BSA, MLA, and the Dodd-Frank and FTC Acts.
Erica Stein
Stein has extensive experience as in-house counsel at JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and previously with Akerman, defending a wide variety of financial services litigation, from individual disputes to class actions, in state and federal courts nationwide. She regularly defends financial services providers from claims (high volume to high stakes) brought pursuant to RESPA, TILA, FCRA, FDCPA, and TCPA. Erica also defends mortgage lenders, servicers, investors, and other financial services providers against borrower complaints alleging wrongful foreclosure and violations of state statutes, as well as operationalizing compliance with those state laws.
In recent weeks, Akerman also attracted partner Lori Nugent to the firm’s Consumer Financial Services Practice Group. Joining from Greenberg Traurig in Dallas, she serves as co-chair of Akerman’s Privacy, Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies Team.
About Akerman
Akerman LLP is a top 100 U.S. law firm recognized by Financial Times as among the most forward thinking firms in the industry. Its more than 700 lawyers and business professionals collaborate with the world’s most successful enterprises and entrepreneurs to navigate change, seize opportunities, and help drive innovation and growth. Akerman is known for its results in middle market M&A and complex disputes, and for helping clients achieve their most important business objectives in the financial services, real estate, and other dynamic sectors across the United States and Latin America.
Akerman’s Consumer Financial Services Practice Group represents mortgage loan originators, servicers and investors in class and individual lawsuits, bankruptcy adversary cases, contested foreclosures, and regulatory compliance matters. In addition, the group concentrates on repurchase and recovery litigation, with emphasis on investigating and prosecuting origination fraud by working closely with federal and state regulators, and law enforcement. The Akerman team includes more than 100 lawyers and other legal professionals, with a platform for national litigation outsourcing, case management and coordination, including direct litigation through the firm’s 24 offices.
More information can be found at akerman.com or twitter.com/akerman_law.
