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Leslie Meredith

Partner

Washington, D.C.

Leslie Meredith represents corporate and individual clients in a wide variety of litigation and enforcement matters, including government investigations, regulatory examinations, class actions and complex commercial disputes, with a particular emphasis on the financial services industry.

Leslie is an effective communicator who is able to distill complex facts and legal concepts, and turn them into simple, compelling, and persuasive stories, both in court and in negotiations with the government.  Although she has been involved at every stage of litigation, some of her greatest successes were in cases that were resolved quickly or that concluded with the government choosing not to take action at all. She is passionate about partnering with her clients to understand their priorities and find innovative and cost-effective strategies to resolve disputes favorably.

Leslie has significant experience managing complex and cross-border e-discovery, handling pre-trial motions, including overseeing successful summary judgment motions and motions to dismiss, taking and defending critical fact and expert depositions, and preparing for evidentiary hearings and trials.  

In addition to representing clients in federal and state courts around the country, she has helped clients navigate and resolve enforcement actions by state and federal regulators, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Federal Reserve Board (FRB), Department of Justice (DOJ), and state attorneys general, relating to a wide range of subject matter areas, involving both traditional and alternative financial services.

Drawing on the breadth of her experience in the financial services industry, Leslie also counsels clients on compliance with consumer protection laws and supervision preparedness. Her areas of focus include, prohibitions on unfair, deceptive or abusive acts or practices (UDAP and UDAAP); customer complaints management; and codes of conduct and business ethics, including policies related to outside business interests and the Bank Bribery Act.

Prior to joining Orrick, Leslie was counsel at Buckley LLP. She also completed a six-month secondment at a large financial institution, working as a member of the private banking legal advisory group and the litigation department. Leslie is a Professorial Lecturer in Law at the George Washington University Law School, and maintains an active pro bono practice focused on criminal justice and immigration matters.

    • Represented Universal Entertainment Corp., a large Japanese gaming manufacturer, and its president in complex civil litigation in federal court in Nevada involving civil conspiracy, defamation, and intellectual property claims related to a dispute with the company’s founder over control of the company
    • Represented the chairman and president of a D.C. nonprofit corporation in major civil litigation concerning control of the corporation and multi-billion-dollar worldwide assets, and involving breach of trust and breach of fiduciary duty claims related to decades-old conduct in multiple countries. Representation included a four-week partial trial in D.C. Superior Court. The case was ultimately resolved in our client’s favor with all adverse claims dismissed
    • Defended lender-placed insurance providers in multiple putative class actions, as well as in investigations brought by the DOJ, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and state insurance regulators, including the NYDFS and the Massachusetts Attorney General
    • Represented Universal Entertainment Corp., a large Japanese gaming manufacturer, and its subsidiary, Aruze USA, Inc., in FCPA-related litigation brought by Wynn Resorts Ltd., as well as in related parallel enforcement matters. The case involved one of the first examples of a private party using allegations of FCPA violations as an affirmative weapon to gain an upper hand in an unrelated contract dispute. After six years of litigation – during which the parties produced millions of documents, argued more than a dozen appeals and scores of motions, and took nearly 100 depositions – Wynn Resorts agreed to pay $2.6 billion to our clients just a month before trial
    • Represented group of non-bank alternative financial services providers in enforcement actions and investigations involving multiple state attorneys general, congressional inquiries, the NYDFS, and the CFPB related to unfair trade practices
    • Represented specialty home lender in investigations by the CFPB and DOJ into its lending and servicing practices. Matter was closed with no action taken
    • Represented the Navajo Nation in a landmark lawsuit against the U.S. government. The Nation alleged that the U.S. had breached its fiduciary duties to the tribe by failing to properly manage, invest, and account for funds and resources the U.S. held in trust for the tribe. After many years of litigation involving facts, circumstances, and documents stretching back six decades, the firm secured a $554 million settlement on behalf of the tribe. It is the largest settlement obtained against the U.S. in any action by a single Native American tribe
    • Represented large national bank, in a joint CFPB and DOJ settlement resolving allegations that discretionary pricing policies in its mortgage lending business disparately impacted minority borrowers. The settlement imposed no civil money penalties and no forward-looking injunctive relief
    • Represented bankruptcy trustee of a thrift holding company in an adversary proceeding regarding breach of fiduciary duty claims in connection with the thrift's failure

    Leslie's recent work on behalf of financial services providers includes: 

    • Conducting internal investigations of suspected misconduct or violations of law and/or regulatory requirements
    • Representing institution affiliated parties (IAPs) in enforcement actions brought under 12 USC 1818(e), including actions seeking orders of prohibition
    • Assisting numerous banks, non-banks, and fintech companies in responding to examination requests, civil investigative demands, and subpoenas relating to a wide range of subject matter areas, including mortgage lending, mortgage servicing, securities based lending, ancillary credit products, and deposit accounts
    • Conducting compliance risk assessments regarding various issues arising under federal and state consumer protection statutes