Financial services law firm Murphy & McGonigle continues the momentum of its Banking & Financial Services Practice with the addition of Lisa Weingarten Richards, an 11-year veteran of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). Ms. Richards, who joins as a partner in Washington, DC, previously served as a Senior Attorney in the Chief Counsel’s Office of the OCC.
The addition of Ms. Richards follows banking industry leader Stephen T. Gannon joining recently from Citizens Financial Group to lead the Firm’s Banking & Financial Services Practice. Gannon previously served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer at Citizens. In addition to the Banking & Financial Services Practice, Ms. Richards will be a member of the Firm’s Securities & Complex Commercial Litigation Practice.
“We are delighted to welcome Lisa to Murphy & McGonigle,” said Mr. Gannon. “Her deep experience at the OCC with both consumer protection- and FinTech-related issues adds further depth to our Banking & Financial Services Practice and enhances our ability to serve an even broader array of clients as they grapple with the rapid changes impacting the industry.”
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While at the OCC, the principal banking regulator in the U.S., Ms. Richards’ experience included providing analysis and counsel relating to consumer protection issues such as unfair deceptive and abusive conduct; high to low posting of debt transactions; lending discrimination; predatory lending; the “ability to repay”/qualified mortgage rule; the Truth in Lending mortgage appraisal rules; as well as the OCC’s authority under Title X of the Dodd Frank Act.
Ms. Richards also participated in the interagency rulemaking processes for appraisal management company oversight. In addition, she provided counsel regarding a first-of-its-kind application by a FinTech institution for a new banking charter.
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“After 11 years working for the government, I am very happy to join Murphy & McGonigle and excited to utilize my experience to directly benefit our clients,” said Ms. Richards. “I am impressed with the Firm’s recent accolades and its rapid expansion. I look forward to being able to work in this fast-evolving field and being a part of the team.”
Ms. Richards began her legal career in the Office of the New York State Attorney General, where she served in the Litigation and Investor Protection Bureaus as a legal intern. A graduate of Columbia University, she earned her J.D. from New York University School of Law.
The addition of Ms. Richards further strengthens the government experience and perspective Murphy & McGonigle brings to client engagements. Fifteen of the firm’s lawyers previously served at the SEC, five at the Department of Justice, and three at the CFTC.
