Attorney Intel is pleased to announce The Top 25 Financial Technology Attorneys of 2025. These attorneys are integral to the legal infrastructure supporting the continued evolution of the financial services sector. They help businesses navigate the complexities of developing new financial products, ensuring compliance with both traditional and emerging regulations, and addressing legal challenges in areas like digital assets, blockchain, and data privacy.
Their work is crucial in a time when innovation in financial services often outpaces the regulatory environment, and new technologies frequently challenge established legal frameworks. By advising on the legal and regulatory implications of cutting-edge business models, these attorneys enable companies to operate responsibly and efficiently, driving progress while mitigating legal risks. Their expertise in areas such as fintech, cryptocurrency, and payment systems helps clients ensure innovation is both responsible and legally sound.
Featured this year is Burr Eckstut, Partner at White & Case, who stands out for his ability to bridge the legal complexities of fintech and technology transactions. With deep expertise in blockchain, digital assets, and generative AI, Eckstut advises clients on the cutting edge of digital finance, helping them navigate the intersection of regulation and innovation.
Jeffrey Alberts, Partner at Pryor Cashman, is known for his pioneering work in fintech and blockchain technology. He has played a critical role in guiding financial institutions and startups through the evolving regulatory landscape of digital finance, particularly in the cryptocurrency space, where his expertise has become indispensable.
Patty Covington, Partner and Co-Chair of the Automotive and Personal Property Finance Practice Group at Hudson Cook, has made a mark in consumer financial services law, advising clients in auto finance, installment lending, and privacy regulations. Her proactive work ensures companies navigate complex regulations while pushing forward innovative consumer finance products.
This year’s awardees were chosen for their exceptional legal expertise and ongoing contributions to the evolving financial technology sector. Please join us in celebrating The Top 25 Financial Technology Attorneys of 2025.
1. Burr Eckstut
Partner, White & Case LLP
Burr Eckstut is a partner in White & Case's Technology Transactions Practice. He advises clients on a wide range of transactions involving IP and technology, including licensing, development, disposition, and joint venture agreements, as well as the IP aspects of M&A, growth equity, venture capital, and other corporate transactions. His clients include Fortune 100 companies, financial services firms, tech startups, and investment funds.
Burr has particular expertise in fintech and has been recognized by Chambers & Partners as a leading lawyer in the fintech industry. He has worked extensively on fintech matters involving financial markets, banking, payments, and digital assets (including cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and other applications of blockchain technology).
Burr also has deep and broadly-applicable expertise in generative AI, machine learning, data licensing, and data analytics.
2. Eamonn Moran
Partner, Holland & Knight
Eamonn Moran is a Partner at Holland & Knight. Moran is a financial services attorney in the firm's Washington, D.C., office. He leverages his experience as a former counsel in the Office of Regulations at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to guide clients in complying with state and federal consumer protection laws and regulations.
Moran helps lenders, financial technology and regulatory technology companies, marketplace lending platforms, payments companies and systems, card issuers and networks, banks, investors, and other financial services providers navigate issues arising under state and federal financial services laws. At the heart of his work is regulatory compliance. He leverages his experience at the CFPB to assist clients in their engagements with federal and state regulators, including Unfair, Deceptive, or Abusive Acts or Practices (UDAAP) risk and state licensing issues.
Moran provides extensive regulatory legal services for companies across the fintech and financial services industries. He has in-depth experience helping clients with innovative financial platforms and products that comply with existing laws, including in the Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) and earned wage access (EWA) product sectors. He has extensive experience handling the regulatory aspects of a broad range of payment services and technologies, spanning traditional systems and cutting-edge payments products.
In addition, Moran counsels clients on all aspects of payments law and related regulatory matters, including instant payments, debit card interchange, money transmission, and consumer protection. Previously, Moran served as senior counsel at Norton Rose Fulbright. He earned a JD in law from the Georgetown University Law Center and a bachelor’s degree in history and government from Georgetown University.
3. Jeffrey Alberts
Partner & Co-Chair of Financial Institutions and FinTech Practices, Pryor Cashman
Jeffrey Alberts is a Partner at Pryor Cashman and co-heads both the firm’s Financial Institutions and FinTech practices. With 28 years of experience, Alberts is a seasoned trial lawyer known for his representation of clients in high-stakes government investigations, regulatory enforcement actions, and complex civil litigation. He has represented financial institutions, boards of directors, and senior management in a wide range of legal matters, including regulatory inquiries, asset forfeiture litigation, and criminal proceedings.
Alberts’ practice extends to advising banks and financial institutions on regulatory matters and helping fintech clients navigate the evolving legal landscape of blockchain and digital finance. He has represented leading blockchain companies since 2014 and is known for his expertise in the application of law to decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and cryptocurrency. He has co-authored influential articles on topics such as the classification of Bitcoin as a security.
Before joining Pryor Cashman, Alberts was an assistant United States attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York and, before that, an associate at Debevoise & Plimpton. Earlier in his career, he worked with EY as an asset manager. Alberts graduated from the New York University School of Law with a JD in law, from the University of Chicago with a master’s degree in philosophy, and from the University of Washington with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy.
Jeffrey Alberts's Insight
“In fintech law bold innovation meets cautious regulation—sometimes with fireworks. I ensure my clients enjoy the show without getting burned.”
4. Evan Abrams
Partner, Steptoe LLP
Evan Abrams is a Partner at Steptoe LLP. He counsels financial institutions, multinational corporations, and individuals on a variety of international regulatory and compliance matters. He regularly advises clients on issues related to anti-money laundering (AML), economic sanctions, export controls, foreign anti-corruption, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), and the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA).
Among other sectors, his practice focuses on emerging technology and financial technology, where he leverages his deep understanding of business trends and technological developments to help clients achieve their commercial objectives while complying with complex regulatory regimes.
Abrams holds a JD from the Georgetown University Law Center, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif and served as Senior Articles Editor and Executive Board Member of the Georgetown Journal of International Law. He also earned a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University.
Evan Abrams's Insight
“It is inspiring to work with leading fintech companies that are democratizing access to financial services, expanding services to the unbanked and underbanked, and helping consumers access financial services in a faster, cheaper, and more efficient manner. Given the novelty of these offerings, many companies face a maze of complex legal issues or grapple with applying decades old laws to their new business models. My passion is finding solutions to these legal challenges that help fintech companies grow and thrive.”
5. Molly Swartz
Partner, Fintech and Payments, Paul Hastings
Molly Swartz is a Partner in the Fintech & Payments practice at Paul Hastings and is based in the firm's San Francisco office. Molly advises fintech and financial services companies, internet marketplaces, and commercial and consumer lenders regarding a broad spectrum of product, regulatory, and transactional matters.
Molly is one of a few preeminent financial services attorneys in the U.S. whom companies turn to as they seek to commercialize their product offerings further. She has extensive experience with financial services and consumer protection laws, including the Truth-in-Lending Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, the Bank Secrecy Act, state money transmission and licensed lending laws, gift card laws, payment network rules such as the Nacha, Visa and Mastercard Rules, and other state and federal statutes related to money movement.
Molly advises household name companies regarding a host of product and regulatory issues. From ideation and strategy through launch and beyond, she assists in all aspects of product development. She frequently negotiates commercial agreements in the financial services space, including bank-fintech partnership agreements and commercial agreements between fintech companies. Molly drafts user-facing documentation for financial services clients, including foundational contracts between clients and their customers, and advises on design elements of the user experience. Beyond product development, Molly supports clients through financing services, licensing, and registration, and assists clients in responding to regulatory inquiries.
Molly is one of the foremost experts in non-recourse liquidity and earned wage access (collectively, NRL/EWA). She was part of the original legal team that helped define the space and has engaged with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and numerous state agencies on a variety of EWA/NRL issues. As a result of this expertise, Molly has helped numerous clients develop no-fee, non-recourse forms of financing.
Molly earned a JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a bachelor’s degree from Yale University.
6. Juan Azel
Partner, Co-Chair, FinTech, Banking and Payments Group, Winston & Strawn
Juan Azel is the Co-Chair of Winston’s FinTech, Banking, & Payments Group, has over 25 years of experience in major law firms in Florida, and has served as in-house counsel at domestic and international banks. Most recently, he was Deputy General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of Cross River Bank, one of the country’s most active fintech-sector financial services organizations.
As Co-Chair of Winston’s FinTech Group, Juan leads teams advising financial institutions and fintechs in compliance and regulatory matters. Most recently, he represented Santander in its partnership with Verizon to offer Verizon customers high-yield savings accounts at Santander’s digital banking platform, Openbank.
Juan also serves as General Counsel to the Financial & International Business Association (FIBA) and is a member of the Legal Advisory Committee of the American Fintech Council.
7. Jack McNeily
Partner, Latham & Watkins
Jack McNeily is a Partner at Latham & Watkins, where he focuses on litigation, white-collar defense, and investigations, particularly in the financial institutions, fintech, and cryptocurrency spaces. McNeily partners closely with clients to understand their business and market, achieving optimal results in complex regulatory and criminal matters. He has a track record of success representing public companies, officers, fund managers, investment advisers, and financial services firms in a wide range of high-stakes cases, including securities and corporate fraud, complex commercial litigation, market manipulation, and insider trading.
McNeily has represented leading cryptocurrency exchanges, DeFi protocols, and high-frequency trading firms in parallel investigations and enforcement actions brought by the DOJ, SEC, CFTC, and other regulators. His work includes defending the first insider trading case involving cryptocurrency, as well as advising on compliance and pre-litigation matters for various token issuers and DeFi protocols. Additionally, McNeily has represented clients in major securities fraud cases, securing full acquittals for a former CEO in a criminal trial involving accounting fraud and achieving favorable outcomes for public companies in shareholder derivative suits and class actions.
Outside of his legal practice, McNeily maintains a strong pro bono commitment, securing a landmark restitution award for a victim of sex trafficking and prevailing in several notable civil rights cases, including ADA claims in federal court and constitutional rights claims on behalf of prisoners. He also has significant experience in complex contract disputes and environmental litigation.
McNeily began his career in 2013 as an associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP before joining Latham & Watkins. He holds a JD from the University of Chicago Law School and a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College.
8. Danielle Reyes
Partner, Goodwin Procter
Danielle Reyes is a Partner in Goodwin's Financial Services group, where she provides broad regulatory compliance advice with a focus on responsible investment, financial regulatory matters, corporate social responsibility programs, non-financial reporting, and human rights. She also serves as Co-Chair of the firm’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) & Impact practice. Reyes is recognized for her expertise in creating comprehensive ESG disclosures, policies, and programs for clients across various industries, helping them navigate complex regulatory landscapes while ensuring alignment with sustainability and impact goals.
Her practice includes advising on ESG/sustainability reports, conducting ESG due diligence, and designing key performance indicators (KPIs) and remediation programs for private equity transactions, venture capital investments, and mergers and acquisitions. Reyes also specializes in preparing private companies for public offerings and providing strategic advice on fair and responsible banking, financial inclusion, and Community Reinvestment Act issues. She is skilled in advising both fintech and traditional banking clients throughout the product development lifecycle, from regulatory compliance to licensing and co-branded credit card programs, as well as fintech-bank partnerships.
In addition to her regulatory expertise, Reyes provides strategic counsel on corporate philanthropy programs and corporate foundation matters. Prior to joining Goodwin Procter, Reyes was an associate at Paul Hastings. Reyes earned her JD from the Duke University School of Law and holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Rice University.
9. Sonia Nijjar
M&A, Corporate Partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates
Sonia Nijjar is an M&A and Corporate Partner at Skadden, where she brings over 17 years of experience advising clients on a broad range of U.S. and cross-border corporate transactions. Her practice focuses on complex and high-stakes mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, tender and exchange offers, joint ventures, private equity investments, and minority investments.
With a particular emphasis on the technology, fintech, and private equity sectors, Nijjar represents public and private companies, boards of directors, and senior management teams in strategic corporate matters, including securities law and corporate governance issues, as well as handling activist investor situations.
Nijjar has played a pivotal role in several of the largest and most significant transactions in the technology and gaming industries. Notably, she represented Activision Blizzard in its $75 billion acquisition by Microsoft, the largest-ever technology and gaming deal, and advised Elon Musk in his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter. She also handled Livongo's $18.5 billion acquisition by Teladoc Health, marking the largest deal in the digital health sector, and the $8.1 billion acquisition of Credit Karma by Intuit, the largest venture-backed fintech sale to date.
In addition to her transactional work, Nijjar provides strategic counsel on corporate governance, securities law, and general corporate matters to both public and private companies. She is also experienced in advising on activist investor situations, often working closely with special committees and senior management to navigate complex shareholder engagement issues. Nijjar graduated from Columbia Law School with a JD in law and from Stanford University with a bachelor’s degree in economics and international relations.
10. Sara Weed
Partner, Gibson Dunn
Sara Weed is a Partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and Co-Chair of the Fintech and Digital Assets Practice Group. With extensive experience in both regulatory and transactional aspects of fintech, Weed advises a broad range of clients, including traditional financial institutions, non-bank financial services companies, and technology companies. Her practice spans the lifecycle of fintech ventures, from product development and regulatory strategy to supporting regulatory examinations and defending against enforcement actions.
Weed has significant expertise in advising fintech companies on key regulatory matters, including licensure, chartering, and compliance with the Federal Bank Secrecy Act and state money transmission laws. She has also represented clients in high-stakes regulatory investigations and enforcement actions by agencies such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Department of Justice, the CFTC, and OFAC. She also advises on the development of fintech products, such as platform tokens, rewards programs, and cross-border customer funds management strategies.
In addition to her regulatory and transactional work, Weed counsels clients in the cryptocurrency space, including global exchanges and peer-to-peer lending platforms. She has been instrumental in helping companies navigate complex regulatory frameworks across multiple jurisdictions and manage crisis situations, such as incident responses and escalated complaints.
Before joining Gibson Dunn, Weed held roles in the financial services industry, including as in-house counsel at IBM’s financial services group and as a policy counsel for a national financial services research organization. She also served as director and counsel with the North Carolina Office of the Commissioner of Banks. Weed graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a JD in law.
Sara Weed's Insight
“Fintech has grown and changed in ways I couldn’t have imagined and, with it, my practice. Being on this journey with our clients—the most innovative fintech companies in the world—is deeply fulfilling. I cannot imagine doing anything else.”
11. Joseph Cutler
Partner, Perkins Coie
Joe Cutler serves as the firm-wide chair of Perkins Coie’s Fintech & Blockchain Industry Group. Trained as a privacy litigator, Joe became fascinated by blockchain and decentralized ledger technology’s promise of disintermediating the existing centralized data models of most technology companies.
Since 2010, Joe has helped clients of all types develop their compliance strategies for fintech and blockchain-based projects. He advises fintech companies, exchanges, wallet providers, NFT marketplaces, and emerging payment systems on money transmission, U.S. sanctions compliance, privacy, and a host of other financial services regulatory issues. Joe develops anti-money laundering, sanctions, privacy, and cybersecurity governance programs, and defends them against state and federal regulatory enforcement actions.
In addition to his Financial Services practice, Joe counsels clients on complying with state and federal privacy and data protection laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act, anti-spamming and anti-phishing statutes, computer intrusion laws, state data protection, and breach notification requirements, and international rules such as the GDPR.
He also guides companies on credit protection laws like the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. Joe is a frequent commentator and influential speaker at industry events like Consensus, the Blockworks Digital Asset Summit, and The Digital Chamber’s DC Blockchain Summit, where he has shared insights on the future of Web3, DeFi, tokenization, and digital identity.
Joe received his JD from the Georgetown University Law Center and earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and philosophy from the University of Washington.
12. Donald Mosher
Partner, Banking & Financial Services, Chair of the Bank, Regulatory Group, Schulte Roth & Zabel
Donald J. Mosher is Head of Schulte Roth & Zabel’s Bank Regulatory Group and Co-Head of the Blockchain Technology & Digital Assets Group. He focuses on the regulation, acquisition and sale of payments companies and money transmitters, licensing and registration of traditional and nontraditional money services businesses (including online transmitters, global B2B providers, and cryptocurrency exchanges), and the laws and practices applicable to mobile, digital, virtual, electronic, paper- and card-based payment products and systems.
Don has represented leading banks, payments companies, card associations, money transmitters, and private equity firms in transactional and regulatory matters associated with payments, prepaid cards, digital currencies, and money transmission.
Donald Mosher's Insight
“Fintech isn’t new—it’s been around for decades, think ATMs and credit card networks—but it’s evolving fast, and that evolution brings both challenges and opportunities. From the rise of the internet and mobile banking to the emergence of AI, embedded finance, and blockchain, the way we interact with money is being reimagined in real time. Having started my career as a fintech lawyer back in 1991, it’s been incredibly rewarding to watch—and be part of—the journey.”
13. Anthony Nolan
Partner, K&L Gates
Anthony Nolan is a Partner at K&L Gates. Nolan has a domestic and international practice that emphasizes lending transactions, fixed income securities, structured finance, structured products, insurance-linked securities and derivatives, and related regulatory issues. He often works at the intersection of finance and investment management, including trading and regulation of swaps and security-based swaps, loan trading, securities lending, and repo, as well as traditional borrowing and leverage transactions.
Nolan has significant experience in securities laws affecting asset-backed securities, corporate debt securities, initial coin offerings, and security-based swaps, commodity laws impacting swaps and commodity pool participants, and banking laws that regulate the derivatives and securities activities of depository institutions and their affiliates, including under the Volcker Rule.
Nolan regularly advises clients in transactions involving the financial services, energy, transportation, equipment leasing, manufacturing, healthcare, pharmaceutical, and real estate industries. His structured finance experience encompasses cash and synthetic securitizations and covers a wide range of financial assets, including commercial loans and loan participations, aircraft and equipment loans and leases, and many types of consumer financial assets. He also represents investment advisers in various aspects of structured finance, both as investors and as sponsors of CLOs and other securitizations.
Nolan started his career in 1998, serving as counsel at Shearman & Sterling. From there, he served as a Partner at Goodwin Procter LLP and then as a lecturer in law at Columbia University. Nolan graduated from Columbia Law School with a JD in law and from the University of Oxford with a bachelor’s degree in modern history.
Anthony Nolan's Insight
“I first started working in securitization some thirty years ago and have been intrigued ever since by how technological innovation impacts financial markets and products and their associated regulatory frameworks. In more recent years, the links between finance and tech have only become more pervasive and intense, with algorithmic lending apps, marketplace lending, blockchains, and cryptocurrencies paving the way for the tokenization of seemingly everything, while decentralized finance and artificial intelligence challenge old notions of governance and contractual relationships. Working at this intersection has been rewarding and helps satisfy my curiosity.”
14. Aarthi Belani
Partner, Baker McKenzie
Aarthi Belani is a Partner in Baker McKenzie’s Palo Alto office. Belani’s practice focuses on M&A and venture deals in the tech and life sciences arena. She represents strategic acquirers, especially in cross-border deals, emerging growth technology companies, venture capital funds, and corporate venture capital. She has also represented the sell-side and advised on health care, financial services, and impact investment deals.
Prior to joining Baker McKenzie, Belani was a partner in the M&A practice of an international law firm. Prior to that, she was on the in-house legal team covering strategic M&A at Credit Suisse in New York, where she was also a member of the Sustainability Network, a Credit Suisse OneBank (cross-divisional) initiative to develop impact investment products. At the start of her career, Belani was an associate in the New York office of another international law firm for five years, where she worked on complex strategic M&A and innovative development finance.
She is a mentor for the Unreasonable Group, a program for entrepreneurs. Additionally, she serves as a Leadership Committee member of How Women Lead, which is part of a campaign to increase the representation of women on corporate boards. She is also a director of Bidoun, a not-for-profit publishing, curatorial, and educational initiative that prints a quarterly magazine showcasing art and culture from the Middle East.
Belani earned a JD in international law from the New York University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in international relations, ethics, health, and biology from Stanford University.
15. Christopher Leach
Partner, Kirkland & Ellis
Christopher Leach is a litigation Partner in Kirkland’s Washington, D.C., office. As a former attorney with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), his practice focuses on consumer-facing issues, including data privacy, false advertising, marketing practices, and other aspects of customer acquisition. He represents and advises clients in a broad range of industries, including the fintech, financial services, food and beverage, automotive, and telecommunications industries, defending those companies in litigation, before government agencies, and in self-regulatory proceedings such as the National Advertising Division (NAD).
As a lawyer in the FTC’s Division of Financial Practices, Leach investigated and litigated consumer protection enforcement actions and developed enforcement policy. His relevant areas of experience include fintech, cryptocurrency, consumer financial data privacy, gig economy, fair lending, and consumer telecommunications.
He has worked on some of the agency’s most visible fintech actions, including active litigation against FleetCor Technologies, Inc. and its CEO for deceptive advertising and charging customers hundreds of millions of dollars in unauthorized fees through its B2B payment system, a $10 million settlement with Yellowstone Capital in connection with the company’s merchant-cash-advance practices, and has advised on cryptocurrency issues.
Before joining Kirkland & Ellis, Leach was a partner at Mayer Brown and, before that, an attorney at the Federal Trade Commission. Leach graduated from the Duke University School of Law with a JD and from Dartmouth College with a bachelor’s degree in government.
16. Abradat Kamalpour
Partner, Jones Day
Abradat Kamalpour is a Partner at Jones Day. Kamalpour has extensive experience in fintech, blockchain structured finance, and debt capital markets. He has been at the forefront of using blockchain-based technologies and cryptocurrencies on various transactions, including building out blockchain-based exchanges, tokenization platforms, and digital asset issuances, as well as the creation and legal build-out of cryptocurrencies, crypto-based payment systems, and related app offerings, which includes acting for a multibillion-dollar-backed private equity group on an international crypto exchange and cryptocurrency offering that will be made available across various international markets.
Kamalpour has acted on and structured numerous complex structured financing transactions and market-leading financings for global financial institutions, including Merrill Lynch, J.P. Morgan, Fortress, Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, Nomura, and Goldman Sachs.
Kamalpour has written extensively on fintech-related legal matters, including articles on cryptocurrencies and digital assets for the Talking Legal section of CityAM (a leading London financial newspaper). Kamalpour was also the founder and architect of a fintech accelerator program for another international law firm in London.
Kamalpour began his career in 2008 as a partner at Ashurst LLP, where he also served as the architect of FinTech Legal Labs and the global head of fintech and international finance (IF). He graduated from Monash University with a bachelor’s degree in law and from RMIT University with a bachelor’s degree in construction management. He also completed the Executive Education Program in Corporate Governance at the University of Cambridge.
17. Kristin Teager
Partner, Sidley Austin LLP
Kristin Teager is a Partner at Sidley Austin LLP, where she has been practicing since 2017, initially joining the firm as an associate. She represents a wide range of clients in the fintech, cryptocurrency, payments, and financial services industries, including payment processors, money transmitters, prepaid program managers, depository institutions, and retailers. Teager’s practice focuses on providing innovative payments products and services, negotiating and drafting complex commercial agreements, and advising on a broad spectrum of regulatory matters.
Teager's expertise includes structuring financial services products through strategic partnerships, such as private label and co-brand credit card programs, servicing agreements, and payment processing agreements. She has significant experience in guiding fintech organizations, banks, and retailers in navigating the complex federal and state regulatory frameworks for payments and financial services. Her work also extends to advising clients on regulatory obligations, such as anti-money laundering procedures, customer disclosures, and state licensing requirements.
Teager’s representative matters include negotiating and drafting agreements for strategic partnerships between fintech companies, banks, retailers, and affinity brands, facilitating billions of dollars in credit card receivables. She has also assisted a major U.S.-based fintech provider with launching cryptocurrency services, including negotiating commercial agreements, structuring the product, and interfacing with state regulators.
Before joining Sidley Austin, Teager was an associate in the global banking and payment systems group at Paul Hastings, where she gained valuable experience in banking, payment systems, and fintech law. Teager earned a JD in law from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
18. Sara Lenet
Partner, Hogan Lovells
Sara Lenet is a Partner at Hogan Lovells. She represents a diverse range of clients, including U.S. and foreign banks (and their holding companies), fintech entities, and companies considering offering financial services ancillary to their businesses or entering into relationships with regulated counterparties.
Lenet’s practice spans a wide range of regulatory matters, including advising depository institutions and their holding companies on permissible activities and investments, Bank Holding Company Act "control" issues, mergers and acquisitions, Volcker Rule compliance, and partnerships with fintech entities. She also provides counsel to financial services innovators in fintech, digital assets, and gaming, addressing regulatory issues such as anti-money laundering (AML) compliance and licensing. Lenet is uniquely positioned to advise both traditional financial institutions and emerging entities, offering a deep understanding of the overlap and interplay between different regulatory regimes.
Lenet represents clients in dealings with federal and state regulators, including the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), FinCEN, the New York Department of Financial Services, and other state bank regulatory agencies. She assists clients with examinations, obtaining required approvals for mergers and transactions, and responding to regulatory inquiries.
Lenet graduated from the William & Mary Law School with a JD and from Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree.
19. Jason Friedman
Partner, Mayer Brown
Jason Friedman is a Partner at Mayer Brown. Friedman is a corporate attorney whose practice is primarily focused on leveraged finance, private credit transactions, and financial restructuring. His diverse transactional practice involves the representation of private equity sponsors, banks, public and private companies, groups of secured and unsecured lenders, hedge funds, family offices, alternative asset managers and other institutional investors, and high net-worth individuals across a broad range of industries, including technology, healthcare and life sciences, private equity, energy, real estate, retail and consumer products, projects and infrastructure, and media and entertainment.
With 25 years of experience, Friedman has an extensive track record in executing complex domestic and cross-border debt finance and financial restructuring transactions, including acquisition financings, working capital facilities, bridge loans, asset-based lending facilities, construction loans, and high-yield and investment-grade offerings.
In addition, he regularly represents clients in connection with special situation investments, distressed acquisitions and debt exchanges, debtor-in-possession (DIP) and exit financings, intercreditor issues, rights offerings, and analyzing key leverage points in complex capital structures.
Friedman started his career in 1999 as a marketing analyst at Hudson River Group. From there, he went on to serve as a manager at Xuppa.com, before eventually serving as of counsel at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, his most recent position prior to joining Mayer Brown. Friedman graduated from the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law with a JD in law and from Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree in government.
20. Behnam Dayanim
Partner, Global Head of Digital Commerce and Gaming, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
Behnam Dayanim is a Partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, where he serves as Global Head of Digital Commerce and Gaming. Dayanim advises clients on regulatory and compliance issues, investigations, and significant litigation, while also providing strategic guidance on business matters such as transactions, partnerships, and public offerings.
Dayanim’s practice focuses on the intersection of gaming, financial services, data privacy, and governance. He works with gaming and gambling providers, media companies, fintech firms, blockchain companies, and more traditional financial services participants. His clients value his ability to handle a wide range of regulatory and legal challenges, from advising emerging companies to working with established multinational public companies.
Dayanim is experienced in both courtroom representation, particularly in gaming-related litigation, and in assisting clients with regulatory matters, including issues around financial services obligations in the crypto industry. He also advises on commercial partnerships, brand licenses, acquisitions, and other strategic business initiatives.
Previously, Dayanim was a partner at Paul Hastings LLP, where he chaired the Advertising, Gaming & Promotions practice and co-chaired the Privacy & Cybersecurity practices. Before that, he was a partner and co-chair of the Litigation and Regulatory group at Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP. Dayanim earned a JD from Harvard Law School and a bachelor’s degree from Yeshiva University.
Behnam Dayanim's Insight
“Fintech is an incredibly exciting sector in which to practice. The convergence of financial services and technology is driving rapid change, with regulators scrambling to adjust. It will be fascinating to see if this industry convergence results in regulatory convergence, which would open up the possibility of combinations of services that currently exist entirely independently of one another. The next several years should continue to be eventful.”
21. Eli Rosenberg
Partner, Baird Holm
Eli Rosenberg is a Partner at Baird Holm, where he counsels both industry-leading and start-up fintech companies, as well as financial institutions, on their financial services products. Rosenberg's practice focuses on a wide range of financial services issues, including electronic banking, merchant acquiring, electronic fund transfers, and businesses related to credit, debit, and prepaid cards. He also advises clients on regulatory matters, assisting with state and federal regulatory compliance, money transmitter and money service business licensing, and marketplace lending issues.
Rosenberg is also experienced in negotiating and drafting contracts for financial services clients. He regularly leads clients in their dealings with service providers, negotiating services agreements, independent sales organization (ISO) contracts, BIN, agent bank, and association contracts.
In addition to his practice, Rosenberg serves as regulatory counsel to the Innovative Payments Association, where he works closely with industry leaders and government regulators to address emerging issues affecting financial services providers. He is known for his ability to guide clients through evolving regulatory landscapes, ensuring compliance while fostering innovation. He holds a JD from the University of Kansas School of Law, an MBA from Missouri State University, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas.
Eli Rosenberg's Insight
“I have greatly enjoyed representing companies and financial institutions throughout the entire fintech value chain. The fintech legal environment is dynamic and ever evolving. I’m honored to work with clients who see me as not just their attorney, but as an integral part of their team to help navigate this complex landscape.”
22. Jon Roellke
Partner, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Jon Roellke is a Partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, where he focuses on antitrust, trade regulation, and commercial litigation. Roellke primarily counsels clients in the financial services, education, and high technology sectors. He handles complex litigation, including class actions, and provides strategic advice on enforcement matters before both state and federal agencies.
Roellke is widely recognized for his expertise in competition issues, advising clients on a broad range of topics such as algorithmic pricing, artificial intelligence, ESG collaborations, refusals to deal, distribution and franchising restraints, tying arrangements, group purchasing, exclusive dealing, joint ventures, and trade association activities. His deep understanding of antitrust law has earned him a reputation as a trusted advisor.
In addition to his litigation and advisory roles, Roellke regularly assists clients in navigating the regulatory landscape of competition law, ensuring compliance while helping them address evolving legal challenges in their respective industries.
Roellke started his career in 1987 as a partner at Howrey LLP. From there, he went on to Clifford Chance US LLP, before eventually rising to partner at Bingham McCutchen LLP, his most recent position prior to joining Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. He graduated from Boston College Law School with a JD in law.
Jon Roellke's Insight
“This recognition is a terrific honor for which I am most grateful, especially given the challenges for the profession to stay ahead of the breakneck pace at which the sector is innovating and changing.”
23. Adam Berkaw
Partner, Ellenoff Grossman & Schole
Adam Berkaw is a Partner at Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, where he represents clients in all aspects of corporate and securities law. He focuses his practice on initial public offerings and other primary and secondary equity offerings, mergers and acquisitions (including DeSPACs), corporate governance, and other general corporate law matters.
In addition, Mr. Berkaw also has significant experience in advising domestic and international clients on SEC reporting requirements, stock exchange rules and regulations, and other regulatory compliance matters. He has represented clients in a diverse range of industries, including fintech, banking, manufacturing, retail, consulting, pharmaceuticals, food service, energy, shipping, telecommunications, technology, and digital currency mining, among others.
24. Patricia Covington
Partner & Co-Chair of Automotive and Personal Property Finance Practice Group, Hudson Cook
Patty Covington is a Partner and Co-Chair of the Automotive and Personal Property Finance Practice Group at Hudson Cook. She specializes in consumer financial services law, with extensive experience in auto finance, installment lending, federal regulatory compliance, and CFPB-readiness.
Covington advises clients on a variety of issues, including privacy, data security, information management, electronic commerce, marketing, and interactions with state regulators, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Her clients range from banks and sales finance companies to motor vehicle dealers, installment lenders, service providers, and technology providers.
Before joining Hudson Cook, Covington served as deputy general counsel at CarMax Auto Superstores, Inc., where she managed the legal department's business operations group. In this role, she oversaw compliance matters related to federal and state laws governing motor vehicle retail financing, dealer law, electronic transactions, franchise law, marketing law, privacy, and government affairs. She implemented compliance programs for key regulations, including TILA, FCRA, GLB, and the National Do Not Call Registry (FTC and FCC).
Covington is actively involved in various trade associations, including the American Bar Association's Business Law Group and Consumer Financial Services Committee, where she previously served as chair and vice-chair of the Privacy Subcommittee. Covington is also the co-founder of the National Automotive Finance Association's Consumer Credit Compliance Certification Program and co-instructor of the program. Covington received her law degree from the T.C. Williams School of Law and her bachelor's degree from James Madison University.
Patricia Covington's Insight
“It’s so much fun to be a part of—and support—the financial services industry. I’ve been practicing for over 33 years, and I’ve had the privilege of working with a wide variety of financial services companies. I’ve helped stand up companies, assisted them in product development, supported them in growing their footprint, and counseled them as they innovate all along the way. Fintech has been especially rewarding. As a creative person, I enjoy working with folks who seek to do things differently, better, and with the goal of serving consumers and adding value to the financial services ecosystem.”
25. Aaron Kouhoupt
Partner, McGlinchey Stafford
Aaron Kouhoupt is a Partner at McGlinchey Stafford. Kouhoupt offers a unique perspective shaped by 20 years of experience as both in-house and outside counsel to banks, fintechs, and various financial institutions of diverse sizes and formats. Kouhoupt applies his extensive grasp of financial services regulation for clients ranging from marketplace lenders and other fintech companies to community, regional, and national banks, small loan companies, mortgage lenders and servicers, as well as money transmitters and payments processors.
Kouhoupt counsels clients on regulatory compliance matters, including consumer loan documentation, e-commerce, underwriting, and advertising. A primary aspect of his practice is advising both bank and non-bank participants in bank partnership arrangements. Kouhoupt also advises clients on “traditional banking” issues, including those arising under the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), and Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), as well as matters involving privacy, bankruptcy, and enterprise-wide risk management.
Kouhoupt has extensive experience navigating legal challenges in the financial sector, particularly when laws and regulations are not yet fully aligned with innovative financial products. He has served as head of legal at an alternative banking and digital payments company, as well as in-house at a peer-to-peer lending and alternative investing company. Kouhoupt also assists European companies in launching U.S. consumer finance products.
Additionally, Kouhoupt has taught business law, constitutional law, and American government as an adjunct professor at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. He graduated from Rutgers Law School with a JD and from the University of Maine at Presque Isle with a bachelor’s degree in political science and government.
Aaron Kouhoupt's Insight
"Having spent over fifteen years as an in-house attorney at both financial institutions and fintech companies, I advise clients on the tangible, relevant, top-of-mind issues I know they have to address from a legal, compliance, and business perspective so they can keep their operations on track.”
