Fintech in United States

Latham & Watkins LLP's broad experience is reflected in its impressively diverse clientbase, which ranges from start-ups through to major financial institutions, as well as established technology companies and investment funds. The team is active across the spectrum of legal matters in the sector, including financial regulatory and litigation, corporate finance, project development, IP, data privacy and cybersecurity. Clients also benefit from the firm's global reach, that includes coverage in most key jurisdictions. Payments and financial services expert Todd Beauchamp leads the team from the Washington DC office, which also includes Mitchell Rabinowitz and Jenny Cieplak, who have a strong track record representing financial institutions investing in new technologies. Other key members include New York's Stephen Wink, global co-chair of the firm's blockchain and cryptocurrency task force.

Mayer Brown's collective strengths in key areas such as financial services regulatory, payments, technology, capital markets, cybersecurity and data privacy, give it an edge in the increasingly competitive fintech market. The firm's clients include a broad mix of major banks, credit card and financial services companies, as well as cryptocurrency exchanges, online payment processors and retailers. Advice to clients such as American Express on its Split & Send launch, allowing deeper integration with digital wallets such as PayPal, is demonstrative of the firm's expertise. Key partners include financial services experts David Beam and Steven Kaplan in Washington DC. They are complemented by experienced partners on the technology transactions side, including Rebecca Eisner and Brad Peterson in Chicago, and up-and-coming partner Rohith George in California.

DLA Piper LLP (US) represents a good mix of banks, financial institutions, venture capital funds, start-ups and emerging growth companies. The firm has been involved in significant IPOs, M&A transactions, and continues to represents major banks and credit card companies on e-payments and related regulatory issues. Other key areas of expertise, both domestically and globally, include blockchain, financial infrastructure and software, online lending and SAFTS (simple agreements for future tokens). Team chair Margo Tank in Washington DC has over 20 years’ experience working in the fintech market. David Whitaker in Chicago is highly experienced in e-commerce and financial services. Seattle-based corporate partner Trenton Dykes is also singled out by clients.

Goodwin has a long history representing clients that straddle the technology and financial services sectors. Alternative lending, digital currencies and blockchain, insurtech, payment processing and wealth management are all core areas of expertise. The firm also has a good track record advising on online banking platforms and related collaboration agreements. Clients include major investors, as well as emerging and established fintech service providers. The well-regarded team is jointly led by Scott Joachim in Silicon Valley and Amber Dolman in Boston. Mike Whalen in Washington DC is noted for his regulatory and transactional advice, while Kimberly Monty Holzel in Boston regularly represents clients in regulatory investigations and inquiries.

Hogan Lovells US LLP offers a cradle-to-grave service, with a particularly strong focus on related corporate transactional, IP and financial services regulatory advice. This includes support to emerging and established clients, including technology developers and banks, in the payment processing, insurtech and cryptocurrency space. The US team works closely with colleagues in other key hubs, including London. Washington DC-based financial regulatory partner Richard Schaberg co-heads the global fintech team, with strong support from regulatory partner Gregory Lisa (DC and New York), and Theodore Mlynar in New York, who heads the firm's blockchain-smart contracts group. Silicon Valley office head Nathaniel Gallon is active on the technology front, representing companies from across the fintech ecosystem.

Morrison Foerster has a solid reputation for commercial and regulatory matters. Its long track record in the technology sector extends to payments and lending services, blockchain and cryptocurrencies. Banks and financial services companies also seek out the firm for advice on related technology products, licensing agreements and alliances. The team is jointly led by Crystal Kaldjob and Jeremy Mandell. Other key partners include San Francisco-based corporate co-chair Eric McCrath, and technology transaction specialist Stephanie Sharron in Palo Alto. Dario De Martino and Susan Gault-Brown jointly lead the blockchain and smart contracts group out of New York and Washington DC, respectively.

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP has an extremely strong reputation for representing emerging and established fintech service providers. Clients benefit from a multi-faceted transactional, IP and corporate practice, as well as expertise in increasingly critical areas such as regulatory, litigation, and public policy. The team is jointly led by cybersecurity and data privacy partner Barrie VanBrackle in Washington DC, and financial services specialist Howard Altarescu in New York. John Bautista in Silicon Valley is a key contact on the start-up and venture capital front, while capital markets partner Robert Moyle in New York is also very active in this area. Clients include major payment processors, corporate venture arms, and online lenders and trading platforms. Christopher Austin joined Paul Hastings LLP in March 2020, and Glynna Christian joined Holland & Knight LLP in February 2021.

Ballard Spahr LLP has a cross-disciplinary fintech and payments team with particularly good expertise in the banking and financial services regulatory space. This experience extends to key areas such as privacy and data security, IP, blockchain and cryptocurrencies. It is also an active adviser to institutional investors. The team is jointly led by regulatory and enforcement expert James Kim in New York and Ronald Vaske in Minneapolis, who has a strong track record representing banks, fintechs and other third parties. Kim Phan in Washington DC is the lead contact for privacy and data security issues, and Peter Jaslow co-heads the blockchain and cryptocurrency group from Philadelphia.

Clifford Chance's impressive track record in banking and financial services  feeds into its strong capabilities in the fintech space. The firm is especially active on the transactional and regulatory front, where it represents a mix of banks, investors, trade organizations, and specialized fintech service providers. Recent highlights have included major acquisitions in the payment solutions sector and support on digital asset securities. The team is jointly led by New York's David Felsenthal, who is especially focused on the development of new structures, including blockchain and token sales, and by Steven Gatti and Megan Gordon in Washington DC, who have strong backgrounds in regulatory matters, investigations and enforcement proceedings. Jason Myers is recommended for capital markets and securities matters.

Cooley LLP has a strong reputation in the technology legal market. This expertise extends to the fintech sphere where it advises on matters across corporate and finance transactions, data privacy and IP. Boston-based practice head Alfred Browne is a contact for private equity and technology matters.

Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP has a multi-disciplinary team with a strong track record in the fintech and blockchain space. This includes advice on digital securities, financings, and data privacy regulations under GDPR. Practice head David Kappos has an extremely strong background in IP management and strategy, and works closely with the firm's corporate, finance and regulatory lawyers on related fintech matters. In this regard, Scott Bennett is particularly active in public and private offerings and M&A. Recently the firm was involved in several high-profile business sales in the fintech space, and provided support on antitrust and securities litigation-related issues.

Fenwick & West LLP's deep focus on technology feeds into its growing fintech practice. The firm's lawyers regularly handle related corporate finance, regulatory, IP and litigation issues. Clients include digital currency companies, payment processors, online retailers, software providers and crypto exchanges, as well as banks and venture capital investors. Much of the work is done through the payment systems and blockchain teams, which are co-led by Andrew Albertson and associate Can Sun in Seattle, and Michael Dicke in San Francisco, who has deep experience in government regulatory investigations and securities enforcement. Technology transactions partner Andrew Klungness in Santa Monica and San Francisco venture capital expert Michael Brown are other names to note.

Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP is a popular choice, particularly among banks that provide platforming services to major fintech companies. The versatile group offers a strong blend of regulatory, data protection, financing, corporate and tech advice. This expertise, particularly in payment services, was brought to bear throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and related federal stimulus and pay check plans. Austin-based practice head Erin Fonté is highly experienced on the corporate and regulatory side. The team also includes New York’s Lisa Sotto, global head of the firm’s privacy and cybersecurity practice, and financial services litigation and compliance co-chair Jarrett Hale in Dallas. Clients also rate Washington DC-based Scott Kimpel, who leads the firm’s blockchain and distributed ledger working group.

K&L Gates has a burgeoning cross-practice team with a strong track record advising start-ups and emerging companies. The group is also increasingly active in the intersection between data privacy and payments, as well as cryptocurrency and blockchain. Experienced New York-based group co-head Judith Rinearson spent 18 years working at American Express' general counsel office, and her regulatory and emerging payments knowledge is coupled with the corporate and transactional experience of fellow co-head Robert Zinn, who works from New York and Pittsburgh. A recent highlight on the transactional front was the team's advice to Garmin International on its acquisition of Fitpay.

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP provides a broad suite of services to its fintech clients, which include emerging and established service providers, banks and venture capital funds. The team's leadership comes from across a variety of core practice areas. In Washington DC, Andrew Ray is noted for his corporate and M&A expertise; New York's Sheryl Orr is a lead partner on the financial services side; and Boston-based Mark Stein represents several leading private equity and venture capital funds. Other key individuals include litigation partner Michael Philipp, who is experienced in cryptocurrencies, and Michael Pillion in Philadelphia, a name to note for transactions and outsourcing.

Perkins Coie LLP has an experienced tech-focused practice that offers cradle-to-grave support to fintech companies. This includes advice on regulatory and compliance, public policy, litigation, and partnerships and M&A transactions. Clients include major technology providers, as well as venture capital firms and financial institutions. In addition to key product lines such as payment and compliance technology, the team is also experience in issues related to cryptocurrency and blockchain. Dax Hansen in Seattle chairs the firm's blockchain and digital currency group, with strong support from regulatory partners Joseph Cutler and New York-based Dana Syracuse.

White & Case LLP‘s clients benefit from the firm’s global reach as well as its comprehensive service across all areas of the fintech ecosystem. The firm was involved in several market-defining deals, particularly in the online payments space, an example of which was its advice to Facebook (and its subsidiary WhatsApp) on a $5.7bn investment into Jio Platforms, a subsidiary of Indian telecoms operator Reliance Industries. Key team members include Washington DC-based regulatory partners Prat Vallabhaneni and Era Anagnosti, who are especially active on related blockchain, payments and securities matters.

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP has a longstanding track record advising on matters at the intersection of the financial services and technology sectors. The firm is especially active in the investor space, representing several key private equity and venture capital funds, as well as their portfolio companies. It is also increasingly active in cryptocurrency, and related securities, thanks in part to the expertise of New York-based senior counsel Christopher Giancarlo, former chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Other key members of the team include private equity co-chair Jeffrey Poss and regulatory counsel Conrad Bahlke, both of whom are also in the New York office. Financial services specialist David Luce joined the New York office in January 2022, arriving from DLA Piper LLP (US).

Arnold & Porter supports fintech clients across several key areas, offering combined strengths in financial services, corporate finance, IP, data privacy, public policy, and litigation. The firm represents a strong mix of technology providers, investors and banks, and has good expertise structuring and negotiating large-scale and often complex joint ventures. Practice head David Freeman is especially strong on the regulatory front, which was key to the group's workload during the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly in relation to the rollout of the CARES Act. Other key regulatory partners include Michael Mancusi and Christopher Allen, and New York-based finance specialist Lawton Camp. Named lawyers are based in Washington DC unless stated otherwise.

Dechert LLP is particularly active in the online investment and lending segments, and is also particularly strong in cryptocurrencies and blockchain, an area where Silicon Valley partner Timothy Spangler has developed a solid reputation. Other key partners include Chicago's Matthew Hays, who handles related structured finance and securitizations, and Washington DC's Susan Grafton and San Francisco's Mark Perlow, names to note for online investment advisers and marketplace lenders. Timothy Blank in Boston co-heads the firm's privacy and cybersecurity practice, which was boosted by the arrival of Washington DC-based Karen Neuman from Goodwin in October 2020.

Acting for an impressive list of emerging and established fintech service providers, exchanges and investors, Greenberg Traurig LLP has an active group with expertise across a wide range of financial instruments and payment types. This includes advice on the sourcing and integration of complex technologies and platforms. M&A, capital markets, venture capital, litigation and financial regulatory advice also feature in the group’s caseload. Key contacts in the team include Carl Fornaris in Miami, who is experienced in banking and securities, and Barbara Jones in Los Angeles, who is especially active in the blockchain and digital assets sector.

McGuireWoods LLP has a strong track record in the financial services sector, and advises a mix of emerging and established companies on all fintech matters. This includes support on compliance issues, litigation, technology transactions, government investigations and regulatory enforcement. The multi-disciplinary practice is led out of Charlotte by Rakesh Gopalan.

Norton Rose Fulbright approaches the market from several different angles, representing a mix of financial institutions, clearing banks, trade bodies, foreign governments, tech companies and cryptocurrency platforms. This includes support on collaboration agreements, financial services regulatory, data privacy, corporate, and litigation. Blockchain, payment services, reg-tech, insur-tech, and related AI have all featured prominently on the firm's workload in the past year. Regulatory and litigation partner Ronald David Smith in Dallas and New York-based funds and structured products specialist Andrew Lom are both highly active in the fintech space. Stephen Aschettino joined from Reed Smith LLP in June 2021 and now heads up the practice group.

Ropes & Gray LLP has a strong focus on cryptocurrency, robo-advisors, and payments technology, and is especially experienced advising the asset management industry on its fintech products. This includes advice to financial institutions, investors, and technology companies on the full sweep of IP, regulatory, transactional privacy, litigation and cybersecurity issues. In Boston, the cross-practice team includes Edward Black, global-head of the firm's TMT and data privacy and cyber security practice groups, and Elizabeth Reza, a partner in the asset management group who also advises on regulatory issues. New York private equity partner Scott Abramowitz and San Francisco-based asset management specialist Gregory Davis are also active in this space.