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Tim Butler helps companies thrive by developing tailored strategies to address their regulatory compliance challenges and vigorously defending them in government enforcement actions and bet-the-company lawsuits.

A former prosecuting attorney for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and former senior official in the Georgia Attorney General’s Office, Tim has led the defense of dozens of government investigations and enforcement actions brought by the FTC, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and the various state attorneys general. Tim also regularly defends clients in bet-the-company lawsuits, including complex business disputes and consumer class actions alleging privacy, false advertising, and unfair or deceptive business practice claims.

Tim is an experienced guide for companies struggling with regulatory complexity. He offers clear advice that helps his clients meet the demands of the ever-growing set of laws and regulations governing data privacy and cybersecurity, advertising and marketing practices, and consumer financial products and services. Clients rely on Tim’s business-minded and practical strategies to address their most difficult regulatory compliance challenges.

A graduate of the University of Chicago and Stanford Law School, Tim is a prolific author and regularly speaks to industry and trade groups about the evolving privacy landscape, about cutting-edge issues affecting payments and fintech companies, and about developments at the FTC, the CFPB, and within the state attorneys general community.

On Oct. 19, 2023, the CFPB released a proposed rule that, if finalized in its present form, would require covered financial institutions to provide consumers and authorized third parties with access and portability options for their financial data. The CFPB’s proposed rule, called the “Personal Financial Data Rights” rule, would implement Section 1033 of Title

On Oct. 7, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 478 into law. When it becomes effective July 1, 2024, the law will amend the CLRA to generally ban so-called “junk fees.”

California’s effort sits along the Biden administration’s focus on “junk fees,” which multiple federal agencies have now addressed via various advisory opinions, guidance

On Oct. 11, 2023, the FTC released a proposed rule that would, if finalized in its present form, prohibit “misleading” fees and require more prominent disclosures for so-called “junk fees.” The FTC’s proposed rule, called the “Rule on Unfair and Deceptive Fees,” would broadly prohibit businesses subject to FTC jurisdiction from mispresenting the nature and

In its continued focus on so-called illegal “junk fees,” the CFPB issued an Advisory Opinion on the obligations of large banks and credit unions. The CFPB’s actions arise at a time when many large banks are moving away from a relationship-focused model to a tech-driven one that streamlines customer services, a shift the CFPB asserts

On Aug. 1, 2023, the Maryland Office of Financial Regulation (OFR) published new guidance on Earned Wage Access (EWA) products, intending to provide clarity on how EWA products are viewed under Maryland law and requirements those offering EWA products should follow.

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Big Tech companies, fintechs, and traditional financial institutions are paying attention to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) September 2023 issue spotlight, which focuses on tap-to-pay or contactless payment technology. The CFPB’s report highlights the role of Big Tech companies in the mobile payment space.

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On March 30, after years of rulemaking efforts, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a final rule implementing Section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act. Small business lenders, if they haven’t already, must put in place rigorous data collection techniques, implement security firewalls, and update employee training by their listed compliance date.

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New York is now poised to impose Truth-in-Lending-like disclosure obligations on various types of commercial financing. On Feb. 1, the New York Department of Financial Services adopted final regulations implementing S.B. 5470 and S.B. 898.

Continue reading the full GT Alert.

After years of rulemaking efforts, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) may issue a final rule later this month that would require lenders to collect and report data on small business loan applications, including applications from minority-owned and women-owned small businesses. According to the CFPB, when it is implemented, the rule will create the first

  • CFPB proposes rule requiring nonbanks to “register” with the CFPB if they include certain terms and conditions in their form contracts, including in their website terms of use
  • The registry would serve as a public database tracking firms that use form contracts to waive or limit certain consumer rights
  • The CFPB intends to