DEPARTMENT PROFILE

Buckley LLP

Financial Services Regulation

10 ranked lawyers

Band 1

USA - Nationwide

USA 2021 View ranking table

chambers review

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Ranked Lawyers

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What the team is known for

Leading financial services team roundly admired for its expertise in the consumer finance space. Provides domestic and international clients, including banks, holding companies and mortgage servicers, with cutting-edge advice on state and federal consumer finance regulations. Also noted for its handling of consumer finance enforcement actions before the CFPB, DOJ, HUD and OCC, as well as its ability to deal with consumer class action lawsuits. Offers extensive expertise in the regulatory aspects of debt collection, auto-lending and mortgage law.

Strengths

"They are extremely knowledgeable, practical, and have lots of great lawyers," says a client. "They will tell you exactly what will happen and the strategy you need to employ."

One source reports: "Buckley is an incredible resource for our company. They have a breadth and scope of subject matter expertise that cannot be found elsewhere. Our outcomes are always as expected or exceeded."

"Buckley is my go-to firm on regulatory matters," says another, adding: "Everyone I've worked with there has been really good; they've got a really deep bench and they're doing great work."

Work highlights

Acted for CBC Mortgage Agency, CBC Corporation and the Cedar Band of Paiutes in the federal district court of Utah, seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against HUD.

Representing Carrington Mortgage Services in two putative class actions, seeking to defend the allegation that fees charged for occupancy inspections violated HUD guidelines.

Advised Cross River Bank on a range of regulatory and supervision issues relating to the management of its third-party relationships, among other matters.

Notable practitioners

Benjamin Klubes offers clients a thorough skill set in litigation and enforcement proceedings, frequently handling class actions on their behalf. He is well versed in federal and state consumer banking regulations.
"Ben Klubes is an excellent lawyer. I think very highly of him.""Ben is a very smart guy, who got me very favorable results."

Clinton Rockwell is a noted figure in consumer financial law, offering clients broad advisory expertise in regulatory matters. He routinely counsels lenders on their compliance obligations under CFPB regulations.
"He does a good job of understanding the problems we are trying to solve and comes up with great business solutions.""Clint Rockwell is great on mortgage-related matters. He is outstanding."

James McGuire is held in high regard for the strength of his consumer litigation practice. His representation of clients in major class actions encompasses issues such as the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act and Truth in Lending Act.
"James is a very good lawyer and very talented."

Jeffrey Naimon has an expert grasp of fair lending law and regularly advises on a wide range of consumer finance compliance matters. He is skilled at dealing with state and federal banking regulators, as well as the CFPB and FTC.
"The feds call him regularly to see what he thinks about a particular issue. He is an exceptional lawyer and can generally tell you what absolutely everybody in the industry is doing." "He stands out as having a diverse and prominent practice."

John Kromer comes equipped with an extensive skill set in consumer financial matters and routinely advises clients on their compliance with state and federal law. He is particularly expert at advising clients on state licensing issues.
"John gets deals closed and he knows how to structure them in ways that will be most attractive to the government. He is a go-to guy for that sort of work."

Jonice Gray Tucker concentrates her practice on consumer banking law and is seasoned at navigating clients through investigations and enforcement actions by the CFPB, HUD and other agencies.
"Jonice is great. She is whip-smart, high-profile and experienced." "She is a tenacious litigator and does a good job of building relationships that help us navigate the labyrinth of regulatory agencies."

Joseph Kolar is held in high regard for his work advising financial services companies on regulatory and enforcement matters. He is best known as a fair lending expert and frequently advises mortgage lenders on CFPB compliance.

Michelle Rogers routinely advises banks and non-bank mortgage lenders facing regulatory scrutiny, often acting for her clients in high-stakes enforcement actions.
"Michelle is very good. She showed excellent judgment, as well as mature and sound analysis.""She is excellent. A smart, knowledgeable, adaptable and responsive attorney."

Walter Zalenski maintains a well-respected consumer finance practice, with a core focus on compliance issues. He is particularly adept at advising clients on complex payments law matters.
"I consider him to be among the preeminent consumer finance attorneys in the country. He gives practical, sound advice.""He is a very talented and well-regarded lawyer in this area. Clients look to him."

Department Information

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Overview

Buckley is a preeminent legal advisor to the financial services sector with a national reputation for achieving outstanding results for our clients. The attorneys at Buckley have decades of representing banks, mortgage lenders and servicers, credit card companies, fintech companies, insurance companies, securities firms, and other financial services companies in matters affecting their industries. In the past two decades, the firm's attorneys have acted as lead defense counsel in more than 150 high-stakes class actions, represented clients in a multitude of state and federal enforcement proceedings, counseled clients through the implementation of new laws and regulations, including the Dodd-Frank Act, and had a hand in commenting on or drafting a majority of the significant laws that impact the financial services industry. Buckley has built a record and reputation as the leading Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) firm in the nation, based on its successful representation of some of the biggest names in the financial services industry. The firm has advised on more than 200 separate CFPB matters, taking leading roles in many significant escalated supervisory matters, investigations, and enforcement actions.