Partner

Andrew is a seasoned attorney who specializes in providing regulatory, compliance, and transactional guidance to financial institutions and fintech companies. He has extensive experience advising banks, non-bank lenders, money transmitters, blockchain technology firms, and other entities involved in financial services on a variety of issues, with a particular focus on eCommerce, payments, and digital assets.

His legal practice involves counseling both bank and non-bank financial services companies on a wide range of regulatory and transactional issues, including federal consumer protection laws such as the Truth-in-Lending Act (TILA); the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA); Unfair, Deceptive, or Abusive Acts or Practices (UDA(A)P); the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA); the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA); the Consumer Leasing Act (CLA); and the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA). Relatedly, Andrew advises clients on federal and state laws and payment network rules related to payments, including credit cards, prepaid cards or other forms of stored value, and other payment methods. In addition, he is knowledgeable about and has advised on various articles of the Uniform Commercial Code, including Articles 2A, 3, 4A, 9, and 12, as well as state laws, including state lending laws and loan brokering laws. Andrew is also proficient in state money transmitter laws and their application to digital currency companies and has expertise in virtual currency specific issues including issues and obligations surrounding stablecoin issuance and custody arrangements and agreements.

For transactional and contracting experience, Andrew has assisted banks and fintechs in all aspects of their relationships. For transactional work, Andrew represented clients in negotiating bank partnership agreements, “banking-as-a-service” agreements, card network program agreement, and other related matters. For consumer-facing contracts, Andrew has assisted clients with drafting loan agreements (credit cards, open-end credit, and closed-end credit), user agreements, terms of service, and other customer-facing materials.

Andrew has experience analyzing electronic signature and record platforms for compliance with all relevant laws and regulations, including the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN) and state Uniform Electronic Transactions Acts. He also counsels non-bank marketplace lenders and banks on “Madden” and True Lender concerns, and assists clients with privacy and data security matters, including compliance with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, and the CAN-SPAM Act.

Before joining Ketsal, Andrew worked at a top 10 law firm and a boutique financial services firm in Washington, D.C. In his free time, he enjoys outdoor activities with his partner Lisa, caring for his small zoo (cats, snakes, and fish), gardening, and reading or listening to any kind of espionage or cyberpunk novel.

Andrew also publishes his newsletter, Legal-tender: Your fin-tastic guide to crypto & fintech, which covers the latest legal developments in the fintech and virtual asset space.

Education

American University (BA)

Washington College of Law (JD)

Bar Admissions

Maryland

District of Columbia