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June 29, 2020
Former CFPB policy and enforcement official joins the firm’s Global Litigation Group as partner.
Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP today announced that former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) official Rachel Rodman has joined the firm as a partner in Washington, DC, strengthening the firm’s ability to counsel clients in connection with consumer-focused litigation, compliance and investigation matters.
Rodman focuses her practice on representing banks, specialty finance companies, and other financial services institutions in government investigations and litigation in trial and appellate courts. She joins the firm from Williams & Connolly.
She served for four years at the CFPB, including two years as Senior Counsel in the Legal Division. In that capacity, she represented the agency in federal district court and advised agency leadership, including the Director and General Counsel, on emerging issues under Title X of the Dodd-Frank Act. Rodman then was an Enforcement Attorney in the Division of Supervision, Fair Lending and Enforcement, where she led investigations of banks and nonbanks finance companies involving mortgage servicing, consumer reporting, overdraft practices and debt collection. Rodman was lead counsel in several of the CFPB’s major settlements with regulated companies.
“We are delighted to welcome Rachel to our firm, especially at a time when all financial institutions are preparing for post-pandemic challenges and the impact of market disruption,” said Cadwalader managing partner Pat Quinn. “History has demonstrated that consumer protection-related investigations and enforcement actions – from federal government enforcement agencies, state AGs and other state agencies – will likely follow in the wake of COVID-19, and many of the safeguards put in place by the CFPB after 2008 will be tested. Rachel’s in-depth understanding of the CFPB as well as her top-notch litigation skills will be critical to our clients at this time.”
Rodman will be part of Cadwalader’s transatlantic White Collar Defense and Investigations practice and will expand the firm’s litigation and compliance capabilities. She will work closely with DC partner Doug Gansler, the former Maryland Attorney General and head of the firm’s State Attorneys General practice.
“Rachel brings unique capabilities and experiences to our firm at a time when this first-hand experience is at a premium,” said Cadwalader’s Jodi Avergun, who heads the firm’s White Collar Defense and Investigations practice. “She played a significant role at the CFPB and has continued to provide important guidance to banks and other financial institutions on consumer litigation and enforcement matters. As additional financial institutions enter the consumer banking space in very meaningful ways, they will continue to see Cadwalader, with our expanded capabilities, as an essential go-to resource.”
In addition, Rodman will be a part of the firm’s market-leading LIBOR Preparedness Team, assisting clients with their LIBOR transition efforts.
“Rachel brings added depth to the advice our clients need to plan their LIBOR transition strategies,” said Lary Stromfeld, head of the firm’s LIBOR Preparedness Team. “Consumer businesses face unique challenges in preparing for the transition and the highest risk of disputes, litigation and enforcement afterwards. We are delighted to add her to our team.”
Rodman has significant experience in consumer protection civil litigation and enforcement. She regularly represent depository institutions, finance companies, and other market participants in complex civil litigation, enforcement and supervisory actions, and state attorneys general investigations relating to consumer financial products and services.
“Consumer credit remains an important product set to many of our financial institutions clients,” said Scott Cammarn, co-head of Cadwalader’s Financial Services practice. “Rachel’s work on consumer credit enforcement and litigation matters will round out our capabilities in that area.”
With her core experience in consumer-related litigation, Rodman has also had the opportunity to advise a number of FinTech companies in recent years.
“Cadwalader’s all-around excellence and market-leading reputation within the financial services industry was a major draw for me,” Rodman said. “The firm is uniquely positioned with a first-rate commercial, regulatory, litigation and enforcement practice that includes high-level white collar enforcement and state attorneys general work, as well as a second-to-none financial services practice. My financial services clients will appreciate the firm’s well-rounded capabilities.”
Rodman is the newest member of an expanding Global Litigation Group, which has grown with the recent additions in the past year of London white collar partners Mark Beardsworth and Kevin Roberts; State Attorneys General Practice head Doug Gansler, the former Maryland Attorney General; and a Boies Schiller civil litigation team comprised of Sean O’Shea, Michael Petrella and Amanda Devereux.
