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Tim Butler helps companies thrive by developing tailored strategies to address their regulatory compliance challenges and vigorously defending them in government enforcement actions and bet-the-company lawsuits.

A former prosecuting attorney for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and former senior official in the Georgia Attorney General’s Office, Tim has led the defense of dozens of government investigations and enforcement actions brought by the FTC, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and the various state attorneys general. Tim also regularly defends clients in bet-the-company lawsuits, including complex business disputes and consumer class actions alleging privacy, false advertising, and unfair or deceptive business practice claims.

Tim is an experienced guide for companies struggling with regulatory complexity. He offers clear advice that helps his clients meet the demands of the ever-growing set of laws and regulations governing data privacy and cybersecurity, advertising and marketing practices, and consumer financial products and services. Clients rely on Tim’s business-minded and practical strategies to address their most difficult regulatory compliance challenges.

A graduate of the University of Chicago and Stanford Law School, Tim is a prolific author and regularly speaks to industry and trade groups about the evolving privacy landscape, about cutting-edge issues affecting payments and fintech companies, and about developments at the FTC, the CFPB, and within the state attorneys general community.

On April 1, 2024, California’s legislature introduced Assembly Bill 2863, which proposes amendments to California’s Automatic Renewal Law. If enacted, the proposed amendments would introduce stricter mandates for disclosures, consent, and cancellation processes and further align California’s ARL with the FTC’s proposed changes to its Negative Option Rule.
Continue Reading California Proposes Revisions to Autorenewal Law

On March 27, 2024, the CFPB issued a circular warning remittance transfer providers that false advertising about the cost or speed of sending remittance transfers may violate federal law, including

Continue Reading CFPB Warns Remittance Transfer Providers About Deceptive Advertising and Marketing Practices

On March 13, at the Financial Data Exchange Global Summit, CFPB Director Rohit Chopra delivered a keynote address that focused on “the role of standard setters and standard-setting” as the CFPB pushes towards finalizing is its proposed Personal Financial Data Rights Rule.
Continue Reading Setting the Standard: CFPB to Codify Attributes for Standard-Setters Before Finalizing Personal Financial Data Rights Rule

On March 5, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) finalized a rule intended to limit late payment fees on credit cards issued by the largest credit card issuers. The

Continue Reading CFPB Unveils Final Rule Banning ‘Excessive’ Credit Card Late Fees

On Dec. 22, 2023, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen issued an opinion clarifying that certain Earned Wage Access products are not loans under either the Montana Consumer Loan Act or the Montana Deferred Deposit Loan Act.
Continue Reading Montana Attorney General Confirms Certain Earned Wage Access Products Are Not Loans

On Nov. 7, 2023, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a proposed rule that would, if finalized in its present form, establish the CFPB’s supervisory authority over certain “larger

Continue Reading CFPB Unveils Plan to Supervise Big Tech Digital Wallet and Payment App Providers

On Nov. 1, 2023, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a high-level overview of the topics covered in its proposed Personal Financial Data Rights rule: Fast Facts: Personal Financial

Continue Reading CFPB Issues ‘Fast Facts’ for Proposed Personal Financial Data Rights Rule

On Oct. 26, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas issued a nationwide injunction prohibiting the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) from implementing or enforcing its

Continue Reading Court Issues Nationwide Stay of CFPB’s Section 1071 Small Business Lending Rule