Skills and Values
With over eighteen years of legal and executive leadership experience, I bring a unique blend of legal acumen, business strategy, and operational insight to in-house legal teams, particularly in highly regulated industries such as financial services, fintech, and mortgage lending.
Business-Oriented Legal Guidance: I excel at translating complex regulatory and legal requirements into actionable, business-friendly solutions, ensuring legal compliance while supporting growth and innovation.
Cross-Functional Leadership: Proven ability to lead and collaborate with diverse teams-including legal, compliance, operations, IT, and executive leadership-to drive company-wide initiatives and manage risk.
Regulatory & Compliance Expertise: Deep knowledge of federal and state laws (including Dodd-Frank, ECOA, FCRA, GLBA, TILA, RESPA, UDAAP, and more) and hands-on experience designing and implementing compliance programs that withstand regulatory scrutiny.
Process Improvement & Efficiency: Skilled at building and professionalizing legal and compliance departments, reducing reliance on outside counsel, and implementing technology-driven solutions for licensing, audits, and risk management.
Effective Communication & Training: Adept at counseling and training executives and employees on compliance, risk, and dispute resolution, fostering a culture of proactive legal risk management.
Talent Development: Strong track record in mentoring, developing, and scaling teams, as well as designing onboarding, training, and professional development programs for attorneys and staff.
Achievements
· Built and Led Multiple In-House Legal Departments: Established and scaled legal and compliance teams at Panorama Mortgage Group and Celebrity Home Loans, supporting rapid growth and complex operations across 47 states.
· Reduced Outside Counsel Spend: Significantly decreased legal costs by insourcing critical legal functions and developing internal expertise, without compromising quality or responsiveness.
· Regulatory Success: Guided organizations through complex regulatory examinations and remediation, achieving successful outcomes and maintaining strong relationships with state and federal regulators.
· Operational Transformation: Developed and deployed improved compliance management systems, resulting in enhanced service delivery, risk mitigation, and organizational efficiency.
· Strategic Growth Support: Provided legal and business counsel during periods of exponential company growth, including scaling from 250 to 1,500+ employees and supporting over $9 billion in loan originations.
· Process & Quality Control Overhaul: Led a complete revamp of loan quality control processes, resulting in a significant reduction in recurring loan defects and improved audit outcomes.
· Executive Collaboration: Partnered with C-suite and board-level leaders to align legal strategy with business objectives, manage risk, and drive company success.
These skills and achievements demonstrate my readiness to serve as a strategic, business-focused in-house attorney, delivering value beyond traditional legal counsel.