Hinshaw Welcomes 16 Attorneys in Seven Offices and Announces Opening of a Cleveland Office

Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP today announced that 16 attorneys, including eight partners, have joined the firm’s Consumer Financial Services and Insurance Services industry groups. Formerly with McGlinchey Stafford, the group further strengthens Hinshaw’s financial services litigation, bankruptcy, and insurance defense capabilities across multiple markets, including the opening of a new office in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Cleveland office is led by partner James “Jim” Sandy and includes partner Stefanie Deka, senior counsels Thomas Henderson and Mark Wiseman, and associates David Mullen and John Murray. Joining in Boston are partners Shanna Boughton and Patrick Voke, and senior counsel Marisa Roman. Partner Mikelle Bliss joined the firm in Iselin, New Jersey, while senior counsel Matthew Gordon and associate Mindi Zudekoff joined in New York. Partners Nicholas O’Conner and Charles “Chase” Stoecker joined Hinshaw’s Tampa office. Lauren Baudot joins as a partner in the New Orleans office, and Kathryn “Kasey” Davis joins as senior counsel in Houston.

“This group particularly complements and boosts our nationally recognized Consumer Financial Services and Insurance Services industry groups,” said Hinshaw Chairman Peter Sullivan. “Their collective experience allows us to continue the strategic expansion of the practice in markets that are important to our clients.”

The group has extensive experience representing banks, mortgage servicers, lenders, fintech, and financial services companies in a wide range of litigation matters, class actions, and bankruptcy proceedings. Also, the group handles commercial litigation, insurance coverage, and defense matters. Shanna Boughton has longstanding professional relationships with several Hinshaw attorneys, making the transition seamless.

“While at a previous firm, I worked on a mass consolidated docket in Rhode Island along with Boston partners Maura McKelvey and Sam Bodurtha. Through our judicial appointment as lead defense liaison counsel, we worked closely with one another, representing the joint interests of our mortgage servicer clients. Over the years, we have grown a mutual respect and admiration for each other,” Boughton said. “I hoped that one day we would end up working together at the same firm. Many of my former McGlinchey colleagues also have joined Hinshaw over the last few years, so when the opportunity to join the firm presented itself, the decision was easy.”

“Hinshaw is the right fit for our group as the firm’s broad range of legal services and deep legal bench is unparalleled in the consumer financial sector,” she added. “Our clients are dealing with ever-greater operational and legal complexities. Hinshaw’s platform will allow us to better service the needs of our clients while also enhancing and strengthening our capabilities.”

Jim Sandy said he is excited to expand the firm’s services to the Cleveland market.

“First and foremost, I’m happy to join my new and former colleagues in expanding the firm’s geographic reach into a new and important market,” he said. “While I started my practice in Ohio, I have expanded it to serve clients nationwide. Hinshaw’s national footprint will allow me to better represent my clients in jurisdictions and courts from coast to coast.”

By joining Hinshaw, this group of professionals is reconnecting with more than 30 former McGlinchey colleagues who previously joined the firm in recent years. Their addition is the latest in a series of strategic moves that have led to significant growth in both legal talent and geographic reach. It also follows shortly after the addition of a four-member team in Washington, DC and Florida. The resulting benefits of familiarity and trust extend to the group’s clients, who gain access to legal resources optimized to achieve their business goals.

“Our Consumer Financial Services group continues to grow as a destination for premier legal talent and as a trusted partner for financial services companies,” said Brian McGrath, co-chair of the Consumer Financial Services industry group. “I have worked closely with many of these attorneys in the past and have a strong admiration for the deep industry knowledge and legal skill they bring to the table. As our clients nationwide face growing legal risks and challenges, this team will enhance our ability to provide top-level seamless service across jurisdictions and in key markets.”

More information about the partners’ experience and practices, as well as those of senior counsel, follows.

Boston

Shanna Boughton (Consumer Financial Services) represents banks, loan servicers, commercial lenders, fintech, and other financial institutions in complex litigation, class and individual actions, Chapter 7 and 13 bankruptcy proceedings, and commercial litigation and insurance defense matters. She is admitted in Massachusetts, Michigan, Rhode Island, and Puerto Rico. She received a BS from the University of Michigan and a JD from Wayne State University Law School.

Marisa Roman (Consumer Financial Services) is an experienced litigator whose practice includes a variety of complex litigation matters, ranging from commercial and contract disputes to bankruptcy and creditors’ rights, products liability, lender liability, insurance defense, professional and management liability, and construction litigation. She received a BA from the University of Virginia and a JD from Boston University School of Law.

Patrick Voke (Consumer Financial Services) is an experienced trial lawyer who represents and advises banks and other consumer and commercial lenders, loan servicing companies, and other financial institutions in complex civil litigation and commercial disputes in state and federal courts, including adversary proceedings and claims under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). He also defends retailers, manufacturers, contractors, directors and officers, legal and other professionals, and insurance companies against contractual, employment, errors and omissions, and complex tort claims. He received a BA from Connecticut College and a JD from Vanderbilt University Law School.

Cleveland

James “Jim” Sandy (Consumer Financial Services) is an experienced trial and appellate attorney who represents banks, mortgage servicers, and auto finance companies in civil and commercial litigation, class action matters in state and federal courts. He represents clients in matters related to consumer financial protection law and state and federal regulations. He also represents cannabis companies with state and federal compliance issues and litigation. He received a BA, cum laude, from the University of Dayton and a JD from the University of Cincinnati College of Law.

Stefanie Deka (Consumer Financial Services) counsels banks, mortgage servicers, and auto finance companies on state and federal consumer protection laws and represents clients in arbitration matters. Her litigation practice focuses on defending companies against claims related to the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), FDCPA, Truth in Lending Act (TILA), and Ohio laws, including the Consumer Sales Practices Act and Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. She received a BA, cum laude, from Baldwin Wallace College and a JD from the University of Akron School of Law.

Thomas Henderson (Consumer Financial Services) services the legal and compliance needs of banks, servicers, investors, and secured creditors in connection with consumer loans and distressed properties. He received a BA from The Ohio State University and a JD from Capital University Law School.

Mark Wiseman (Consumer Financial Services) represents lenders in matters involving various consumer protection statutes and regimes in state, federal, and appeals courts, as well as mediations. Mark also assists clients with investigations, litigation, and appearances in courts of all levels. He received a BS and BA from The Ohio State University and a JD from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.

Houston

Kathryn “Kasey” Davis (Consumer Financial Services) handles single-plaintiff and class actions, primarily defending against claims asserting violations of Texas state and federal consumer protection statutes such as the RESPA, TILA, FCRA, FDCPA, and others. She received a BS from Vanderbilt University and a JD from the University of Dayton School of Law.

New York and Iselin, New Jersey

Mikelle Bliss (Consumer Financial Services) is a seasoned litigator who defends financial services companies and institutional clients against lender liability, breach of contract, fraud, and consumer protection claims in state and federal courts involving mortgages, credit cards, auto loans, auto service contracts, retail accounts, various types of insurance, class action matters, and title issues. She also advises clients on a wide range of state and federal regulatory laws, including RESPA, TILA, FDCPA, FCRA, and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. She received a BS from the University of Vermont and a JD from Pace University School of Law.

Matthew Gordon (Consumer Financial Services) focuses his practice primarily on representing financial services clients in commercial and residential foreclosure litigation, including default and contested New York mortgage foreclosure litigation, as well as lender liability defense. He received a BA from Lehigh University and a JD from Boston University School of Law.

New Orleans

Lauren Baudot (Insurance Services), a self-described “classic litigator,” represents insurance companies in first-party and third-party matters, including claims related to large natural disasters, products liability, construction defects, and premises liability. She received a BA in English Literature and Philosophy from Loyola University New Orleans and a JD from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law.

Tampa

Nicholas O’Conner (Consumer Financial Services) represents financial services companies, with a focus on auto finance, in a wide range of consumer and collections actions in Florida and Texas state courts. He defends clients against claims related to the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, breach of contract, and related disputes. He received a BS from Florida Gulf Coast University and a JD from South Texas College of Law.

Charles “Chase” Stoecker (Consumer Financial Services) represents financial services companies in a wide range of litigation matters and claims under FDCPA and RESPA. He also has an active employment law practice, advising clients on compensation and noncompete issues, as well as claims related to wage laws, the Fair Labor Standards Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. In addition to Florida, he is admitted in Michigan and Washington. He received a BA from the University of Michigan and a JD from Michigan State University College of Law.