Husch Blackwell continued growing its national Consumer Financial Services practice with the addition of partners Ryan DiClemente and Colleen Fox and senior counsel Laura Conroy and Kellie Lavery. The New Jersey-based team, which comes from Saul Ewing, will join The Link, the firm’s virtual office.
DiClemente, who co-chaired Saul Ewing’s consumer financial services litigation team, and Fox focus their practice on defending financial services companies in complex commercial and class action litigation across the country arising under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA), and the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act (CFA), among other federal and state consumer protection statutes.
“Ryan and Colleen have a track record of success, and their combined experience and skillset complement our flourishing litigation and regulatory benches,” said partner Marci Kawski, who leads Husch Blackwell’s Consumer Financial Services practice. “They have a strong national presence and reputation, and their approach to client service aligns with Husch Blackwell’s. We are delighted they are joining our growing team.”
DiClemente and Fox manage the regional and national consumer litigation portfolios of auto finance companies, student loan servicers, mortgage servicers, and credit card issuers and servicers. They also frequently provide clients with compliance and regulatory advice on a variety of issues including, but not limited to, the FCRA, TCPA, and student loan servicing issues.
“The growth of Husch Blackwell’s Consumer Financial Services practice over the past few years has been impressive,” DiClemente said. “The firm, as a whole, has experienced consistent growth over the past decade, and it provides us with a large, national platform to continue serving our clients at the highest level. We are excited to add to the positive momentum.”
The arrival of DiClemente, Fox, Conroy, and Lavery comes months after the arrival of partner Mike Silver, who spent more than a dozen years at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau where he was an original member of the Office of Regulations.