Jonathan Chester Email & Phone Number

Salt Lake City, UT, US

• Regulatory and compliance counsel for a large fintech company that offers or assists third-parties in offering online and point-of-sale loans, leases, credit cards, and retail installment contracts
• Primary legal support for lease-to-own, retail installment contract, and bank-issued installment loan businesses
• Responsibilities include providing legal and regulatory support to the Marketing, Product, Credit, Collections, Partnerships, and Compliance teams regarding applicable consumer credit, fair lending, consumer privacy.
• Correspond directly with bank partners to ensure alignment on all aspects of loan program during product development
• Provide legal and strategic counsel to start-up credit card business, primarily regarding licensing and regulatory matters and interactions with regulators and strategic partners
• Analyze risk and communicate with executive team and company leadership regarding the same

Chicago, IL, US

• Counsel all business units on a wide range of legal and business matters, including those relating to regulatory compliance, product development, government affairs, licensing, litigation, labor andemployment.
• As division general counsel for the consumer lending business, responsible for setting the strategicvision and for all legal and regulatory components of the company.
• Negotiate, draft, and review a broad array of commercial agreements, including agreements withthe company’s lenders and investors, strategic partnerships, and vendors.
• Advise executives and senior management on employment issues, including those relating toemployee relations, terminations, policies and practices, and disputes and complaints.
• Play a key role in fundraising initiatives by leading legal and compliance discussions with potentialinvestors, preparing presentations for “roadshow” meetings, and assisting with due diligence.

Chicago, IL, US

• Manage a leading financial technology company's regulatory team of 5 lawyers and 2 paralegals, which supports all of the company's products, new initiatives, regulatory compliance, licensing and litigation.
• Consult business teams to ensure compliance with relevant laws, including those relating to electronic signatures and transactions, payments, privacy and data security, fair lending, collections, credit reporting.
• Analyze federal and state issues applicable to fintech companies, including those pertaining to third-parties that service bank loans, UDAAP, the GLBA, FCRA, TILA, FDCPA, TCPA, Telemarketing Sales Rules, EFTA, ECOA.
• Advise on strategy relating to regulatory inquiries, investigations, and litigation and and draft company responses in connection with the same.
• Ensure company’s compliance with a rapidly-changing regulatory landscape by monitoring legislative and judicial developments in the financial services industry, analyzing impact to the company, and working with.
• Draft and review legislation, meet with legislators and regulators about such laws, and prepare and review position papers and comment letters on proposed rules, regulations, and guidance.

US

• Handled all aspects of litigation, from pre-suit counseling and investigation through post-judgment and appellate litigation. Responsibilities in both state and federal court litigation and regulatory proceedings.
• Active member of litigation team that won an $18 million verdict in a software development action. Significant involvement in discovery, witness preparation, pre- and post-trial briefings, and testimony and arguments.
• First chair responsibility for a team that prevailed in a breach of contract action in Illinois state court. Responsibilities included document discovery, depositions, pre-trial briefing, opening statement, certain.

Doctor Of Law (J.D.)

B.A., Political Science, History