WASHINGTON, D.C. -

Financial services and criminal and civil enforcement defense law firm BuckleySandler recently added the former legal counsel with Ally Financial to its stable of attorneys.

Joining the firm as a counsel in its Washington, D.C., office is Marshall Turner Bell. An accomplished consumer finance attorney, Bell joins the firm’s growing regulatory practice. 

Working with partner John Redding, BuckleySandler indicated Bell will focus his efforts in the firm’s burgeoning auto finance practice. In addition, Bell will work with Walter Zalenski and other partners in the firm’s regulatory and transactional practice. 

Bell will also provide legal counsel to clients more broadly on fair lending and bank regulatory issues, as well as matters involving Consumer Financial Protection Bureau examinations and enforcement actions.

“Marshall’s extensive experience in private practice and as an in-house counsel focused on auto finance, as well as due diligence involving regulatory compliance in connection with prospective transactions with banks, mortgage lenders, finance companies, payday lenders, payment processors and other financial services companies, will be a valuable resource to our clients,” BuckleySandler chairman and executive partner Andrew Sandler said.

“His arrival is well timed as we strive to meet the legal needs of our financial services clients in a very challenging regulatory and enforcement environment,” Sandler added.

Before joining Ally, Bell was a financial services regulatory and litigation attorney in private practice where he focused on consumer financial services compliance and litigation matters involving, among other things, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Truth in Lending Act and state consumer protection laws.

“As banks and non-bank finance companies continue to respond to increased scrutiny by the CFPB, we are currently advising clients in more than 30 CFPB investigations and examinations of financial services companies involving auto finance, mortgage lending, mortgage servicing, small dollar lending, student lending, payment processing, debt collection, credit cards and ancillary products,” Redding said.

“Marshall’s deep knowledge of state auto finance laws, his background in advising clients regarding bank regulatory issues and his intricate knowledge of fair lending compliance and litigation, is a perfect fit with our regulatory practice and especially our growing auto finance practice,” Redding went on to say.