Top 100 U.S. law firm Akerman LLP today announced the expansion of the Consumer Financial Services, Data and Technology (CFS+) Practice Group with the addition of partner Nora Rigby. She joins the Washington, D.C. office after serving almost 10 years in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) Office of Regulations, most recently as Chief of Staff and Senior Counsel.
Rigby is one of 3 senior lawyers from the CFPB based in Akerman's Washington, D.C. office, including former Senior Counsel Thomas Kearney and former Managing Counsel Eric Goldberg. She arrives a month after the local CFS+ team welcomed special counsel Gabriela Menna Barreto Scanlon who concentrates on a wide variety of financial services matters in the United States and Latin America.
"Our team has known and respected Nora for years. Her perspective as a former CFPB policy leader, as well as her broad regulatory experience will immediately benefit our financial services and fintech clients," said William P. Heller, founder and chair of the CFS+ Practice Group. "Nora's understanding of CFPB's approach and strategy, and strong relationships there will strengthen our already effective working partnership with the Bureau and help our clients navigate any compliance or enforcement challenges they may face."
In a decade of work with the Bureau, Rigby gained invaluable, first-hand experience on how the agency implements and enforces the many complex consumer financial protection laws. She provides critical insight to her financial services clients, drawn from her knowledge on how the CFPB monitors consumer financial markets, conducts research, and writes rules.
Rigby focuses her practice on defending financial services providers against individual and class claims brought pursuant to the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, Truth in Lending Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and Telephone Consumer Protection Act.
Rigby joins Akerman just weeks after the firm rebranded its consumer financial services practice to CFS+, recognizing the firm's ongoing commitment to the financial services sector and long-time experience in fintech and privacy issues. The national team, serving clients in all 50 states and internationally, handles legal matters involving litigation, compliance, regulatory enforcement, licensing, payment technologies, cryptocurrencies, privacy and data security.
About Akerman
Akerman LLP is a top 100 U.S. law firm recognized among the most forward-thinking firms in the industry by Financial Times. 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's CFS+ practice group assists financial services clients with a broad range of legal needs, from ordinary to unique, simple to complex. Its experience is deep and comprehensive. They counsel clients at every stage of corporate life, from multinational banks engaging with regulators and defending lawsuits to start-ups securing seed funding and developing a strong compliance framework. Many of the practice's attorneys honed their skills during some of the most tumultuous periods for the industry, as outside counsel, on in-house teams, and as regulators. CFS+ continues participating at the forefront of industry change, through court action, regulatory development, and business innovation.