Mayer Brown announced today that leading fintech litigator Christopher Leach joined its Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice as a partner in Washington DC. He joins from the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC)’s Division of Financial Practices, where he focused on fintech and fair lending issues.

“Chris’ impressive FTC enforcement and fintech litigation experience, coupled with his extensive consumer finance and technology litigation experience in private practice, bolsters our global capabilities,” said Richard Spehr, the leader of Mayer Brown’s global Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice. “The firm has strategically invested in enhancing its regulatory and investigatory capabilities for the benefit of our clients—Chris will be a tremendous asset for companies across the fintech, technology and financial services sectors.”

As a lawyer in the FTC’s Division of Financial Practices, Mr. 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 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 served as the agency expert on cryptocurrency issues.

“I was particularly drawn to Mayer Brown’s robust and multifaceted platform, including its premier litigation and financial services regulatory teams,” said Mr. Leach. “During this era of heightened regulatory and investigative scrutiny, I’m eager to work with some of the world’s most interesting and innovative companies on complex litigation, investigations and enforcement matters.”

Mr. Leach previously practiced in the Washington DC office of another global law firm, where he specialized in consumer, data privacy and transnational litigation. Earlier in his career, he clerked for the Honorable Gerald B. Tjoflat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

“Chris’ substantive fintech and related technology litigation experience adds further depth to our industry leading litigation and consumer financial services capabilities in Washington DC and beyond,” said Liz Espín Stern, the managing partner of Mayer Brown’s Washington DC office.