Photo of Michael E. Lacy

Michael heads the firm’s Consumer Financial Services practice, and handles class actions and high-stakes consumer litigation on a nationwide basis. He represents banks, mortgage servicers, debt buyers and collectors, and lenders against claims under consumer protection statutes, including the FCRA, TCPA, RESPA, RICO, and state UDAP laws. He has significant experience litigating and trying corporate governance disputes, including shareholder derivative claims, corporate dissolution cases, and corporate divorce matters. Michael also represents public utility companies in litigation and regulatory matters, including condemnation and land use cases.

On March 22, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) moved to dismiss a challenge to a final rule it promulgated last summer. But this routine filing was followed by a blog that expressed the Bureau’s intent to address the challenged rule outside of court and clarified that its “brief address[es] only the court’s jurisdiction to

2020 was a transformative year for the consumer financial services world. As we navigate an unprecedented volume of industry regulation, Troutman Pepper is uniquely positioned to help its clients find successful resolutions and stay ahead of the compliance curve.

In this report, we share developments in 2020 on consumer class actions, background screening, bankruptcy,

Troutman Pepper represented the defendant/appellee in Wanda Daughtry, et al v. Jeffrey Nadel, a case in which the appellants argued that a foreclosure action filed six years after the borrowers defaulted was time-barred. The case concerned whether Maryland’s default three-year statute of limitations for “actions at law” applied to a foreclosure action. The Court

Troutman Sanders and Pepper Hamilton officially became Troutman Pepper (Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP) today, a national law firm of 1,100 attorneys in 23 U.S. offices. Our new firm offers clients greater resources and bench strength, enhanced practices, and expanded geographical reach.

We are now one of the 50 largest law firms in the country,

Overview

Earlier this week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued an interpretive rule intended to “make it easier for consumers with urgent financial needs to obtain access to mortgage credit more quickly in the middle of the [coronavirus] COVID-19 pandemic.” The rule clarifies how the right of consumers to waive certain protections provided in the

Troutman Sanders has been closely monitoring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other world authorities’ updates and recommendations regarding the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

All Troutman Sanders’ lawyers and staff have been strongly encouraged to work remotely beginning Tuesday, March 17. Essential on-site services will be maintained in each office. We have no known

2019 was a transformative year for the consumer financial services world. As we navigate an unprecedented volume of industry regulation, Troutman Sanders is uniquely positioned to help its clients find successful resolutions and stay ahead of the compliance curve.

In this report, we share developments on consumer class actions, background screening, bankruptcy, consumer credit

Troutman Sanders and Pepper Hamilton have agreed to merge effective April 1, 2020. The new law firm, Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP, or “Troutman Pepper,” will have 1,100 attorneys in 23 offices across the country. Troutman Pepper will offer its clients greater resources and bench strength, enhanced practices and expanded geographical reach. The announcement follows

Troutman Sanders recently secured dismissal of a lawsuit filed by a consumer in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, alleging the defendants violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) by improperly adding statutory interest to a charged-off credit card debt in contravention of Georgia’s prejudgment interest statute. The District Court’s

Carol Stanton, a legal practice assistant in Troutman Sanders’ Richmond office, has been recognized as an “Unsung Legal Hero” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly. Stanton, who has been in the legal field for 30 years, is recognized alongside 33 other individuals “who have consistently gone above and beyond the call of duty” for their organizations.