Leah Dempsey
Leah Dempsey, the co-chair of Brownstein’s financial services practice, is a lawyer and advocate with a unique ability to lead efforts bridging policy, financial and telecommunications laws and regulations and politics. She navigates financial services industry participants and businesses through the rulemaking, regulatory and legislative processes, and helps enact necessary reforms to laws and regulations.
Leah advocates before the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, National Credit Union Administration, Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission, Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy, as well as several other financial services and other regulators. Leah serves as an advisor to several trade associations and helps a range of participants in the financial services, housing, and fintech marketplaces. Whether it’s dealing with issuance of legislation or policies in Washington, D.C., or throughout the country when facing regulatory supervision and enforcement activity, Leah helps organizations understand their rights and options. She has a deep understanding of the Administrative Procedure Act, the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act process and the Congressional oversight tools needed to ensure a fair and transparent process for businesses and industries. She has advocated for reforms to dozens of federal rulemakings and related legislation in Congress on her client's behalf. She also regularly works with colleagues to file amicus briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court for clients.
With executive and leadership roles at several financial trade associations representing the collection, credit union, and nonbank lending industries, Leah served as vice president and senior counsel for federal advocacy at ACA International, where she led efforts in Washington, D.C., to develop and implement the industry agenda for third-party agencies, debt buyers, vendors, banks and other creditors. Leah also served as senior director of advocacy and counsel at Credit Union National Association (CUNA), leading its Consumer Protection Advocacy team. Prior, she worked on the legal team for several Republican candidates, including Sen. Mitt Romney’s (R-UT) presidential campaign.
