Tell us a bit about what you love about the product regulatory practice area or your role in general. What I love about working in Fintech is that our industry uses technology to solve real problems. Using FinTech, consumers can get their pay early, get extensions of credit without paying interest, and even buy fractional shares of pricey stocks. FinTech innovations create financial inclusion and that can transform lives.
What do you feel are the most interesting developments in the product regulatory area and for the fintech industry as a whole or for your specific business/industry? There has been an explosion of digital-only financial services, and the pandemic has accelerated that. We see financial technology companies actually becoming financial institutions. Many FinTechs are either obtaining their own banking charters or acquiring existing banks. The deposit taking, the lending, the stock trading, and the payment transactions are happening through an app on a phone, not in a branch and I think we'll continue to see that trend.
What advice would you give to someone in the legal field trying to evaluate a role at a startup? A role at a startup can provide a lawyer with so much growth and leadership opportunity. It also requires you to be unflappable because startups are such a dynamic environment. Priorities shift, mistakes happen, and each day can feel like a week. That said, you’ll get expanded responsibility and learn how to build and scale a company which is invaluable training for your career.
What are the top 3 things that you think will define your industry in the next 5 years?
Who are your mentors, how did you connect with them, and what are the top 3 things you learned from them? My mentors have come from relationships I cultivated in college and from colleagues at prior jobs. The latter inspired in me a love of payments law and the former taught me how to bloom where I’m planted and demonstrate grace in the midst of adversity.
