Marci Kawski

Career

With extensive industry knowledge, Marci guides consumer finance companies and financial institutions across the country through the complexities of compliance and litigation.

As leader of the firm’s national Consumer Financial Services practice, Marci has devoted her career to counseling providers of consumer financial services, including installment loan companies, motor vehicle sales finance companies, banks, credit unions, online lenders, and short-term lenders. She develops practical, proactive compliance policies, procedures, and strategies; consults on complex compliance questions and helps clients consider risks; and negotiates before state and federal regulatory agencies.

Marci’s national practice gives her tremendous insight into matters in specific states and positions her to advise on trends across the country. As a result, Marci serves as a frequent speaker, author, and member of key financial services trade organizations and associations. She has experience addressing the alphabet soup of federal consumer finance laws as well as the myriad state requirements impacting consumer and small business finance companies, including:

- Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and Regulation V

- Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) and Regulation B

- Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) and Regulation P

- Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and Regulation Z

- Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA)

- Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)

- Unfair, Deceptive, Abusive Acts and Practices (UDAAP) statutes

- Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (E-SIGN)

- Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA)

- Articles 3 and 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC)

- State consumer loan laws, including but not limited to those in California, Missouri, New York, and Wisconsin

- State privacy laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act

Marci’s passion for her practice stems from her love of solving complex problems: she thrives on studying the minute details of consumer finance legislation and has a gift for marrying that detail to the bigger picture of a client’s business needs. A dedication to detail and complexity makes sense for a native Wisconsin attorney—Marci first cut her teeth as a young lawyer on the Wisconsin Consumer Act, often considered the most complicated state-level consumer credit code in the country. Her early and sustained experience with a highly sophisticated code has always made it straightforward for Marci to quickly adapt to other state laws across the country.

In addition to her in-depth understanding of state laws, clients value Marci’s extensive knowledge of their industry, often remarking that she stands out among outside counsel for her understanding of the business implications of finer points of law in each jurisdiction. They also appreciate her business-minded nature: Marci’s goal is to help consumer financial services providers establish practices that meet and exceed regulations while still allowing their operations to prosper. With Marci on board, clients can focus on their business, confident that she’s on top of any legal updates and has their best interests in mind.

Professional Memberships

American Financial Services Association, Counsel to the Emerging Issues Subcommittee of the Law Committee and Member of State Government Affairs Committee

American Bar Association

American Association of Consumer Vehicle Lessors, Legal Advisor

Conference on Consumer Finance Law (CCFL) Governing Committee

Missouri Installment Lenders Association

State Bar of Wisconsin

Wisconsin Financial Services Association, Counsel

Wisconsin Credit Union League

Wisconsin Judicial Commission (appointed by Supreme Court of Wisconsin)