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Timothy A. Butler

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 March 27, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit and proposed settlement order resolving claims against Cleo AI, a fintech that operates a personal finance mobile banking application through which it offers consumers instant or same-day cash advances. The FTC alleges that Cleo deceived consumers about how much money they could get and how fast that money could be available, and that Cleo made it difficult for consumers to cancel its subscription service.
Continue Reading FTC Alleges Fintech Cleo AI Deceived Consumers

On Nov. 6, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released an administrative complaint and accepted a proposed consent order resolving claims against GGL Projects, Inc., an AI-enabled customer review platform

Continue Reading FTC Takes a Jab at AI-Enabled Sitejabber for Deceptive Consumer Reviews

On Nov. 18, 2024, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) announced a 45-day extension to the public comment period for its proposed rule making (Proposed Rule) that would establish new

Continue Reading FDIC Extends Comment Period for New Requirements for Custodial Accounts

On Nov. 12, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a report examining federal and state privacy protections for consumers’ financial data. In the report, the CFPB “critiques” the

Continue Reading CFPB Urges States to Fill Gaps in Federal Financial Privacy Statutes

On Oct. 18, 2024, fintech trade group Financial Technology Association (FTA) filed a lawsuit challenging the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) final interpretative rule on “Buy Now, Pay Later” (BNPL)

Continue Reading Lawsuit Challenges CFPB’s ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ Rule

On Oct. 16, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission announced its final “Click-to-Cancel” Rule for subscription services and other negative option offers. The rule requires sellers to make it as easy

Continue Reading FTC Announces Final ‘Click-to-Cancel’ Rule for Subscription Services and Other Negative Option Offers

On Oct. 2, 2024, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) published a notice of proposed rulemaking (Proposed Rule) designed to strengthen recordkeeping requirements for custodial deposit accounts with transactional features

Continue Reading FDIC Proposes New Requirements for Custodial Accounts