Womble Bond Dickinson Adds 36-Person National Consumer Financial Services Team

January 16, 2026 — Womble Bond Dickinson announced the addition of a 36-person Consumer Financial Services team, including 19 attorneys and a dedicated licensing team that supports nationwide regulatory compliance at scale, significantly expanding the firm’s consumer financial services capabilities.

“This team strengthens an area where clients are facing sustained regulatory pressure and heightened expectations around how compliance programs operate in practice,” said Merrick Benn, Chair of Womble (US). “We have been deliberate in building practices that combine legal depth with the infrastructure required to support clients operating nationally, and this addition reflects that approach.”

Serving banks, non-bank financial institutions, fintech companies, other consumer-facing financial services providers, and service providers to those industries, the incoming group advises on regulatory, compliance, licensing, supervisory, and enforcement matters across state and federal regimes. Its licensing team plays a central role in supporting clients with multi-state operations and new and ongoing licensing obligations.

“We were looking for a platform with depth in adjacent transactional and litigation practices and the institutional commitment to support a nationally focused consumer financial services team,” said Mark Edelman, leader of the incoming group. “Womble offers the scale and resources that will enhance the ability of our attorneys and licensing professionals to provide a full suite of services for our clients in an integrated way.”

In addition to Edelman, the team includes partners Jeffrey Barringer, Jason Bichsel, Brian Fink, Amy Greenwood-Field, Ben Gross, Aaron Kouhoupt, Kelly Lipinski, Jim Milano, Robert Savoie, and David Tallman. The group is nationally recognized by leading legal directories for its work in consumer financial services regulation and compliance, as well as FinTech, particularly in the payments and lending space.  

“This group enhances our ability to support clients as regulatory oversight continues to evolve at both the state and federal levels,” said Taber Cathcart, Co-Leader of Womble’s Financial Services Sector. “Their national work advising consumer financial services providers – particularly through complex, multi-state licensing and compliance frameworks – adds meaningful reach and depth to our financial services practice.”

Twelve of the attorneys are based in Albany and Cleveland, where Womble will establish offices, bringing the firm’s total to 31 offices in the US and 39 globally. The remaining seven attorneys are located in Houston, Irvine, and Washington, DC, joining the firm’s existing offices in those markets.  

The team joins Womble from McGlinchey Stafford PLLC.