Davis Wright Tremaine Adds Former CFPB Enforcer Melissa Baal Guidorizzi to Its National Financial Services Team in D.C.

JULY 15, 2024 – Melissa Baal Guidorizzi, a former senior counsel at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has joined the leading financial services practice at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP.

Guidorizzi brings to the firm more than two decades of experience in consumer finance law. At the CFPB, she served as the Office of Enforcement's subject matter expert and senior advisor on a wide range of key issues facing the consumer financial services industry, including payments, credit cards, deposits, prepaid accounts, digital wallets, remittances, cryptocurrency, open banking, and faster payment systems.

She has extensive experience both in-house and in private practice. She spent eight years as an associate general counsel at Citi, providing compliance counseling for all of Citi's consumer financial products. Most recently, she was a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, where she advised clients on compliance, regulatory investigations, and enforcement actions and litigation.

Guidorizzi joins DWT as a partner in the firm's Washington, D.C., office.

Said Elizabeth Davis, co-chair of the financial services practice at DWT: "Melissa's 360-degree perspective makes her an unmatched strategic advisor for companies looking to mitigate risk while maximizing opportunity. She knows how to navigate change, sees many steps ahead, and helps clients succeed in a complex regulatory environment."

"At a time of unparalleled innovation, financial services companies are under unprecedented scrutiny," said Andrew Lorentz, also co-chair. "Melissa's skills, networks, and insights will be invaluable to our clients as they seek to thrive in this changing ecosystem. Her extensive experience in the areas of our core business—credit card regulation, payments regulation, and consumer finance enforcement—aligns perfectly with our practice and will help further accelerate our strategic growth. She's a tremendous addition to our team."

DWT's financial services practice team is a recognized national leader. The group brings substantial regulatory experience, dealmaking knowledge, and enforcement acumen together in one department. Chambers ranks the group as one of the country's leading counselors to the fintech industry as well as a top advisor on compliance issues for both banks and broker-dealers. The group has significant capabilities litigating on behalf of the industry as well, and recently secured a preliminary injunction halting a new Colorado statute that would have disadvantaged state-chartered banks and undermined consumer access to credit.

The group has recently added a number of top laterals, including Russell Fecteau, a former senior enforcement attorney at FINRA, Barry O'Connell, a former enforcement attorney at the SEC, and Ryan Richardson, former counsel at Stripe and the FDIC.

"The excitement and enthusiasm at DWT are impossible to miss," said Guidorizzi. "Liz and Andy's group are energized by the challenge of an industry undergoing dramatic change."

Guidorizzo added: "The walls between e-commerce, marketing, and payments continue to break down and regulatory risks are increasing. I look forward to joining a team that is extraordinarily well equipped to partner with clients to optimize the next generation of scalable and sustainable products—from development to compliance through any regulatory action or litigation."

Guidorizzi received her B.A. from Cornell University and her J.D. from Cornell Law School. Throughout her career she has prioritized community service and mentoring. She led a team of  Orrick colleagues who were honored in May by the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice for their report, created pro bono, on strengthening financial integrity and transparency of cryptocurrency in El Salvador. She is co-chair of the Consumer Protection Subcommittee of the New York City Bar Association's Task Force on Digital Technologies and is a member of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.

About Davis Wright Tremaine
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is an AmLaw 100 law firm with more than 600 lawyers representing clients based throughout the United States and around the world. With eight of the 10 largest banks and a half-dozen of the largest fintechs among its clients, DWT's financial services group helps clients solve regulatory problems, innovate, and drive business forward. The firm's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion has been regularly recognized by its financial services clients. Recent honors include LPL Financial's Law Firm DEIB Recognition Award, the Citi Law Firm Diversity Champion Award, the U.S. Bank Invested in Diversity Award, and Discover Financial Services' Excellence in Diversity Award. Learn more at www.dwt.com/fs.