Megan S. Ben'Ary
Megan S. Ben'Ary
Partner
She/Her
"I help financial services clients anticipate legal issues before they escalate and manage litigation risk within a complex regulatory framework."
Megan S. Ben'Ary
Partner
She/Her
"I help financial services clients anticipate legal issues before they escalate and manage litigation risk within a complex regulatory framework."
About Megan
Megan represents clients in class action and complex litigation nationwide, with a particular focus on cases involving consumer protection and privacy statutes. She has over two decades of experience representing financial services clients across industries, including banks, fintechs, mortgage lenders and servicers, auto finance providers, and debt collectors.
Megan has led the defense of hundreds of consumer financial services lawsuits filed in state and federal courts across the country, both individual and class action, and regularly defends consumer claims filed in arbitration. She has significant litigation experience defending cases under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA), the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), Unfair or Deceptive Acts or Practices (UDAP) statutes, and related state laws. Her experience also includes defending privacy class actions arising from alleged data breaches, qui tam actions under the False Claims Act (FCA), and lawsuits challenging employment background screening practices.
Areas of Focus
Industries:
Services:
- Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR);
- Appellate;
- Complex Commercial Litigation;
- Consumer & Class Action Defense;
- Data Privacy, AI & Cybersecurity;
- Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA);
- Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA);
- Financial Services Litigation;
- Financial Services Regulatory & Compliance;
- Litigation & Trial;
- Mortgage Lending & Servicing Litigation;
- Regulatory & Compliance;
- Subpoena Response Management;
- Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)
Initiatives:
Experience
- Defended national bank in putative class action asserting claims under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, the Military Lending Act, and the Truth in Lending Act, where plaintiffs alleged unlawful interest rate increases.
- Negotiated a favorable settlement of a class action filed in bankruptcy court asserting violations of the automatic stay based on consumer collection efforts.
- Achieved a favorable outcome in a class action lawsuit for a consumer reporting agency alleging violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act for noncompliance with adverse action notice requirements and delays in timely reinvestigations of consumer disputes.
- Defended employers, including financial institutions, in class action lawsuits alleging violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act’s background check authorization and adverse action requirements.
- Secured positive outcome for a settlement services company in a Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act and state consumer protection class action.
- Defended residential property manager in an Equal Credit Opportunity Act class action involving adverse action requirements.
- Achieved favorable result for a collection agency in a Fair Debt Collection Practices Act class action concerning defaulted student loans under a federal rehabilitation program.
Credentials
Education
- Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, JD, 2001
- Villanova University, BA, 1997
Bar Admissions
- District of Columbia
- Virginia
Court Admissions
- US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
- US District Court for the Western District of Virginia
- US District Court for the District of Columbia
Clerkships
- Judicial Law Clerk, Hon. Gaylord L. Finch, Jr., Nineteenth Judicial Circuit of Virginia
Thought Leadership
Presentations
- “Navigating Cybersecurity and Data Risks in Financial Services,” 24th Annual Consumer Finance Legal Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana, October 2025
- “Clause & Effect: Rethinking Arbitration in Consumer Finance,” 24th Annual Consumer Finance Legal Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana, October 2025
- “This is the End … of Chevron Deference. What Does It Mean and What Comes Next?” 23rd Annual Consumer Finance Legal Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana, October 2024
- “Evolving Consumer Information Strategies: FCRA Updates for Users and Furnishers,” 2021 Consumer Finance Legal Conference, Webinar, October 2021
- “Consumer Class Action Trends and Developments: What You Need to Know and Do,” The Knowledge Group, Webinar, March 2021
- “Efforts to Minimize Liability under the FCRA,” 2020 Consumer Finance Legal Conference, Webinar, October 2020
- “Minimizing Liability Under the FCRA Amid a Recent Uptick in Credit Reporting Litigation and a Likely COVID-19-Related Surge,” ACI Conference, Webinar, September 2020
- “Recent Developments with FDCPA Rulemaking, Emerging Technology, and Litigation,” National Council of Higher Education Resources Fall Legal Meeting, Cleveland, Ohio, October 2019
Press Release
Thought Leadership
Presentations
- “Navigating Cybersecurity and Data Risks in Financial Services,” 24th Annual Consumer Finance Legal Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana, October 2025
- “Clause & Effect: Rethinking Arbitration in Consumer Finance,” 24th Annual Consumer Finance Legal Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana, October 2025
- “This is the End … of Chevron Deference. What Does It Mean and What Comes Next?” 23rd Annual Consumer Finance Legal Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana, October 2024
- “Evolving Consumer Information Strategies: FCRA Updates for Users and Furnishers,” 2021 Consumer Finance Legal Conference, Webinar, October 2021
- “Consumer Class Action Trends and Developments: What You Need to Know and Do,” The Knowledge Group, Webinar, March 2021
- “Efforts to Minimize Liability under the FCRA,” 2020 Consumer Finance Legal Conference, Webinar, October 2020
- “Minimizing Liability Under the FCRA Amid a Recent Uptick in Credit Reporting Litigation and a Likely COVID-19-Related Surge,” ACI Conference, Webinar, September 2020
- “Recent Developments with FDCPA Rulemaking, Emerging Technology, and Litigation,” National Council of Higher Education Resources Fall Legal Meeting, Cleveland, Ohio, October 2019
Press Release
Megan's Insights
Press Release
Jan 6, 2026
Hinshaw Adds Four-Member Consumer Financial Services Team in DC and Florida
Press Release
Jan 6, 2026
Hinshaw Adds Four-Member Consumer Financial Services Team in DC and Florida
