Overview

Eric’s practice focuses on class action defense and related internal investigations, including trial work, in all aspects of the financial services industry. Eric’s practice focuses on complex litigation, internal investigations and trial work. He has broad experience, both from working as lead trial counsel in many high profile cases and as in-house chief litigation counsel for the US subsidiary of a Fortune 20 financial services company. His practice focuses primarily on defense in all aspects of banking, housing, insurance and financial services litigation, with a primary concentration on defense of class actions and individual lawsuits in federal and state courts (including ECOA, FCRA, and FDCPA claims). Eric also advises clients on their practices and procedures related to mortgage servicing, mortgage insurance, life insurance, annuity and mutual fund sales, 1933, 1934, and 1940 Act issues, fair housing, consumer lending and debt collection (including credit reporting issues under the FCRA). In addition, he has handled numerous ERISA matters, including several successful trials. He also frequently conducts internal investigations on all of these issues for his clients.

Experience

As In-House Counsel:

  • Managerial responsibility for approximately 350 active litigation files. This litigation ran the gamut from employment matters to complex securities litigation to class action consumer cases.
  • Led numerous internal investigations, directing large and small teams covering all aspects of corporate compliance.
  • Developed significant legal subject matter focus with Life Insurance, Retail Annuities, Mutual Funds, Re-insurance, Employee Benefits and Retirement Service/Defined Contribution Plans, 1933, 1934, and 1940 Act issues, as well as SEC investigations and FINRA arbitration in customer cases.

As Outside Counsel:

  • Lead counsel in several overdraft, ECOA, and FCRA Class Actions.
  • Managed engagement with several mortgage servicers on all mortgage insurance dispute issues.
  • Representations of defendants in a wide variety of employment and consumer claims involving race and gender discrimination, including jury trial and arbitration experience.
  • Extensive experience with cases involving statistical analyses and complex decision modeling, including class claims of employment discrimination and discriminatory loan and insurance pricing.
  • Representation of defendants in complex litigation, particularly focusing on class actions; co-trial counsel in successful defense of Title VII class action against the State of California and its teacher licensing examination.
  • Experience as lead attorney in numerous trials (both jury and bench) arbitrations and mediations.
  • Representation of Broker-Dealers, Funds and individuals in 1933, 1934, and 1940 Act litigation and enforcement actions.
  • Counseling of clients in litigation avoidance, “Best Practices,” and compliance issues.
  • Experience in federal and state regulatory investigations and enforcement actions concerning lending and housing discrimination issues and fair trade practice concerns.
  • Substantive litigation experience with lending, housing and employment discrimination, securities, telecommunications, public utilities, investment partnerships, and health care issues.


Accolades

Honors & Recognitions

  • Named Best Lawyer for Commercial Litigation and Litigation - Banking and Finance, The Best Lawyers in America, 2024
  • Master, Bleckley Inn of Court, 2014-present
  • Georgia Super Lawyer, Law & Politics Media and Atlanta Magazine, 2004, 2006

Insights

Events & Speaking Engagements

  • October 21, 2021
    Event
    Speaker
    Litigating Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claims Regarding Closely Held Entities, Strafford Webinar
  • November 9, 2020
    Event
    Co-presenter
    Working with Witnesses, Bleckley Inn of Court
  • June 2019
    Event
    Speaker
    “Litigating Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claims,” Strafford Webinar
  • April 9, 2018
    Event
    Presenter
    Voir Google–Ethical Jury Research, Bleckley Inn of Court
  • July 12, 2017
    Event
    Speaker
    Client Service Curriculum: Litigation Skills Training Program –  Motions
  • March 2016
    Event
    Speaker
    “Bank Disclosures in Litigation: Risks, Strategies, and Litigation Challenges in 2016,” Independent Community Banks of America Webinar
  • February 2016
    Event
    Speaker
    “Winning Fair Lending Claims – What is a win and who decides?,” Texas Tech University Law School
  • October 2015
    Event
    Speaker
    “The Rise in Student Loan Regulatory Scrutiny,” ACI’s Consumer Lending Regulatory Compliance Conference
  • October 2015
    Event
    Co-presenter
    “Bank Disclosures in Litigation,” Independent Community Banks of America Webinar
  • October 2015
    Event
    Speaker
    “Update on Overdraft Litigation,” 39th Annual Texas Association of Bank Counsel Convention
  • September 2015
    Event
    Co-presenter
    “Fair Lending Legal Trends, Practices & Considerations,” ACI 18th National Forum on Residential Mortgage Litigation and Regulatory Enforcement
  • July 2015
    Event
    Speaker
    “Fair Lending: Managing and Defending Against Claims of Discriminatory, Predatory, and Abusive Lending and Assessing the Status of ‘Disparate Impact’ in Lending Litigation and Enforcement,” ACI 23rd National Conference on Consumer Finance Class Actions & Litigation
  • May 2015
    Event
    Speaker
    “The Importance of Compliance in 2015,” The Knowledge Group Webinar
  • April 2015
    Event
    Speaker
    “Defending Fair Lending Litigation and Regulatory Enforcement Actions,” Mortgage Services Conference
  • April 2015
    Event
    Speaker
    “Winning High Profile, High Stakes Litigation,” In-House Counsel Seminar
  • February 2015
    Event
    Speaker
    “Major CFPB Enforcement Developments,” The Knowledge Group Webinar
  • January 2015
    Event
    Speaker
    “Defending Telephone Consumer Protection Act Class Actions,” Conference on Consumer Finance Class Actions & Litigation
  • January 2015
    Event
    Speaker
    “Defending Fair Lending Class Actions, Residential Mortgage Litigation & Regulatory Enforcement,” Mortgage Lending Conference
  • June 2014
    Event
    Presenter
    “Trying a Fair Lending Claim,” The 2nd Bank and Non-Bank Forum on Mortgage Servicing Compliance
  • March 2012
    Event
    Presenter
    “Ultra Bank Hypothetical”; “Defending Fair Lending Class Actions and Regulatory Inquiries”; “Winning Fair Lending Claims: What is a Win and Who Decides?” National Forum on Residential Mortgage Litigation Regulatory Enforcement
  • February 2012
    Event
    Co-presenter
    “Winning the Big Cases,” Winter Meeting of the Atlanta Broker-Dealer Investment Advisor Continuity Group
  • January 2012
    Event
    Presenter
    “A Fair Lending Case Study: Using Consumer Data to Avoid Consumer Litigation,” The 13th National Forum on Consumer Finance Class Actions & Litigation
  • September 2011
    Event
    Speaker
    “Who Said Life was Fair? Defending Discriminatory/Predatory Lending Claims,” The 7th National Forum on Residential Mortgage Litigation & Regulatory Enforcement
  • January 2011
    Event
    Panelist
    “The Current MDL Practice Landscape - What is and isn’t Working for Defendants?”; “Managing the Current and Future Waves of Discriminatory and Predatory Lending/Servicing Cases,” 10th Annual Conference on Consumer Finance Class Actions & Litigation
  • October 2010
    Event
    Speaker
    “Regulatory and Legislative Responses to the Turmoil in the Residential Mortgage Industry”; “Master Class on Insurance Coverage and Litigation Issues in Subprime Mortgage Litigation
  • May 2009
    Event
    Speaker
    “Defending Broker-Dealer Arbitration: Discovery Do’s and Don’t’s,” Broker-Dealer/Investment Advisor Symposium

Publications

News

Education

JD, University of Michigan Law School, 1990

BA, Philosophy, University of Detroit, 1987

Admissions

Georgia

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