Clark Hill Adds Industry Leader Leslie Bender as Financial Services Regulatory and Privacy Lawyer in D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Clark Hill PLC today announced Leslie C. Bender has joined the firm as Senior Counsel in its Financial Services Regulatory & Compliance group in Washington, D.C. Bender brings to the firm deep experience with financial services regulatory matters, including a particular focus on matters before the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and with credit reporting and debt collection issues.

Bender’s practice is multifaceted. She is certified by the International Association of Privacy Professional (IAPP) and focuses on privacy in the healthcare sector (HIPAA) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). She also conducts risk assessments, develops remediation plans and implements training and compliance programs.

Immediately prior to joining Clark Hill, Bender was Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel at BCA Financial Services, Inc., in Miami. She has had an extensive career in the industry with experience in private law firm practice, within the banking industry, in-house at private companies and at a key industry trade association.

“Leslie is a giant in the industry and a formidable financial services regulatory attorney with years of experience representing the industry with credit reporting and debt collection issues,” said Joann Needleman, Leader of Clark Hill’s Financial Services Regulatory & Compliance Group.  “She is multi-talented, with additional deep experience in healthcare privacy (HIPAA), financial privacy (GLBA), the California Consumer Privacy Act, risk assessment, compliance and training.  Leslie will be a great asset to both our firm and our clients.”

Bender brings more than two decades of high-level proficiency practicing before various courts and regulators, and maintains strong relationships with local, state and federal regulators in the financial services and privacy areas. She is a past president of ACA International, a 3000-member global trade association representing the credit and collections industry. 

“The timing could not be better for me to join Clark Hill. The CFPB has promised the release of its final Debt Collection Rule this month. Financial services companies will be laser focused on pivoting effectively and strategically to assure they are respecting consumers’ preferences when collecting the right amount of data from the right consumer. I look forward to the challenge of helping a wide range of companies navigate the new compliance landscape,” Bender said.  “I am pleased to be returning to private practice at this point in my career. The diversity and broad experience of the Clark Hill attorneys I have been privileged to meet is impressive and I look forward to integrating my skills to benefit the firm’s clients.” 

A 1983 graduate of the University of Notre Dame School of Law, Bender earned her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University.  She is a subject matter expert and a Certified Instructor for ACA International, the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals for over two decades, and a Steering Committee member of the Consumer Relations Consortium in Washington, D.C. for more than seven years. 

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About Clark Hill 

Clark Hill is an international law firm with multidisciplinary practices that draw on its attorneys’ industry and policy knowledge, deeply held shared values, and global network of premier firms and advisors to provide innovative legal solutions and client service excellence worldwide. 

As one of the largest law firms in the United States with more than 650 attorneys and professionals in 23 offices across the nation, as well as offices in Dublin and Mexico City, Clark Hill is everywhere its clients require high-quality legal representation. Please visit the firm’s website at http://www.clarkhill.com or follow the firm on Twitter @ClarkHillLaw.