I help companies in the fintech space become more effective, nimble, and secure.It’s true. Most people think legal gets in the way of growth. However, I see legal differently and make it less of a hassle for my clients. I overcome challenges and help you find the right paths to sell yourproducts, enter new markets, and maintain regulatory compliance without holding you back.Pia's GC PhilosophyThe GC fuels growth with a tangible ROI.The GC provides comfort and reassurance.The GC knows everything can be fixed.Why hire a fractional GC?->When you’re focused on growth, you can leave money on the table by missing important compliance and corporate actions if you don’t have the right guidance.->After 15+ years of representing companies in corporate finance transactions and guiding legal and compliance teams for Scratch, LoanMe, LendUp, TSI, and Navigant, I deeply understand the legalneeds of companies as they grow, pivot, and restructure.->That’s why I started my business — to equip fintech companies with the transformative legal advisor they need to grow and scale without the overhead of a full-time GC.

Checkbook is a payments platform that provides businesses a versatile and embeddable way to scale their payouts. Today, a constantly evolving payments ecosystem means new payment methods with additional capabilities. However, these enhancements come at the cost of increased fragmentation and complexity to business operations. As a leading provider of both legacy and modern payment options, Checkbook is uniquely positioned to enable businesses to access the speed, flexibility, and cost savings of modern payment technologies with the familiarity and simplicity of paper checks.

Since its founding in 2019, UpEquity has been building a better way to buy a home. We are a veteran-owned, real estate company on a mission to create more equal access to the American Dream. Our flagship solution, the UpEquity Trade Up program, helps homeowners who are buying and selling at the same time. We specialize in unlocking equity and removing contingencies so that you can make a competitive, winning offer on your next home.

The Private Directors Association represents a diverse and highly experienced community of executive leaders, including current and qualified future board members, private company owners, C-level executives, ESOPs, private equity-backed companies, and early-stage ventures.The PDA mission is to:Advocate for and teach board formation and governanceEnhance private company value through high-performing boardsAdvocate for the value of diverse and inclusive boardsCreate a national alliance of directors, executives, and private company owners interested in board service to learn, network, and identify and attract exceptional board members

The Conference on Consumer Finance Law (CCFL) is a non-profit organization founded in 1926 by members of the legal profession and the financial services industry to offer educational services, publications and research relating to consumer financial services law. A Governing Committee of members establishes policies and directs the activities of the CCFL.The CCFL publishes the Consumer Finance Law Quarterly Report, a law journal that examines legislation, regulations, court decisions and related legal developments in the consumer financial services industry.The CCFL sponsors the Frederick Fisher Memorial Program, a debate among industry representatives, consumer advocates and government officials on a topical issue affecting consumer finance. This program is offered annually in conjunction with the American Bar Association Consumer Financial Services Committee at the spring meeting of the Business Law Section.

TechGC is an independent, invitation-only, peer community where General Counsels share knowledge / best practices and support each other throughout our lives and careers.

Fractionals United is a best-in-class community of fractional executives. It is the premier place to network, learn, and share leads with other experienced and solid fractionals.Fractional employment is a growing trend​ and here to stay, yet it isn't the same as other part-time work and/or consulting and therefore has its own unique benefits and challenges. Fractional Executives provide a cost-effective solution for companies that need an executive "whose got the goods" without the overhead of a full-time hire. The ROI for a Fractional Executive is often greater than with a full-time exec. Fractionals are members of the exec team. To put it simply, there is no difference between a fractional and the full-time counterpart except that the fractional is part-time and works for more than one company at a time.

Founded in 2022 as an expansion channel of Bright Side Loans, FFN is leveraging founder Greg Fasana's non-prime lending platform, which successfully combines applied data science, custom models, strong analytics, and workflow management across the entire application and customer lifecycle. "Serving non-prime customers through delivering small loan solutions has always been part of our collective DNA," says Glenn Hafner, CEO of Fintech Franchise Network. "With our funding and concurrent launch, in addition to serving existing and future customers, we value the opportunity to deliver for our capital partners and investors." Hafner added, "As FFN builds our management team with proven consumer finance professionals, these experts and associated relationships will ensure our success.There isn't a week that goes by where we aren't asked Why do franchises?" states Chris Jerzewski, COO, who brings decades of consumer lending experience to the team. "By franchising, we're able to build better quality customer relationships coupled with our team having an ownership vs. employee mentality - both of which are significant strategic advantages within this customer lending segment," outlined Jerzewski.With nearly 65% of American workers living "paycheck to paycheck" (CNBC.com Personal Finance, Dec. 15, 2022), expanding Bright Side Loan's lending capabilities is key to serving these non-prime customers.

The premier network of professional advisors and dealmakers driving middle market growth in the OC and Inland Empire.

On Deck is where top talent comes to accelerate their ideas and build companies, surrounded by a world-class community. It is a curated community for leaders with 12+ years of experience who want to build successful careers in the startup ecosystem.

I direct the Legal & Compliance Department handling all legal matters, while acting as a strategic advisor and partner to the Executive Team. My legal oversight covers equity incentive plans, ABS Deals, regulatory compliance, HR functions, marketing, intellectual property, product development, corporate policies & procedures, Board governance, and legal entity creation, among other areas. Among my key contributions and achievements, I…Lead, train, and optimize the performance of the team of skilled compliance and legal professionals.Continue to maximize compliance with key regulations that include TILA, GLBA, AML, BSA, MLA, RESPA, HMDA, EFTA, UDAAP, and more.Craft, negotiate, and finalize banking agreements, vendor & partner contracts, merger & acquisition documents, etc.Conducted due diligence for and closed the SPAC transaction for the group in July 2021.Identified and drove the development/launch of a consumer lending product, which now brings in well over 50% of all revenue.Integrally involved in envisioning the future-state product portfolio and risk management strategies to continue expanding all product lines.Spearheaded the rollout of the company’s consumer loan product into the Canadian market to achieve significant revenue growth.Planned and managed a seven-figure securitization raise to support the company’s continued growth initiatives.

I assumed full ownership of the FinTech’s legal operations, handling matters of all complexities, including managing the separation of the company into two entities and unwinding the investments involved to complete the transaction. As such, I directed a legal team comprised of four attorneys and a paralegal for two product lines. As key parts of my leadership role, I…Designed/implemented customized legal strategies to protect the companies interests and minimize risk.Developed and oversaw execution of a Series D VC funding pitch to upgrade facilities and support new initiatives.Kept the business in full compliance with local, state, and Federal regulations (EFTA, TILA, GLBA, BSA, AML, MLA, UDAAP, etc.).Expertly managed relations with key government agencies (CFPB, attorneys general, etc.).Ensured all business and lending licenses were up to date with state banking commissions & licensing authorities.Negotiated/drafted vendor, IP, and other agreements.Oversaw outside counsel, consultants, and banking partners, which were key resources in driving the company’s success.

I served as General Counsel for a company that had recently become part Platinum Equity Advisors, with oversight of M&As, commercial contracts, employment matters, enterprise risk, regulatory compliance, and more. For select achievements, I…Succeeded in slashing spending on outside legal counsel by over $2.5MM in the first eight months with the group, which was a major part of decreasing the overall legal budget by $4MM over 18 months.Adeptly handled over 2K business licenses and compliance with a tremendous number of regulatory bodies.Led the negotiations to minimize exposure to federal government, bringing the amount under $500K.Built effective systems from the ground up for managing/resolving lawsuits filed against the company, as well as multiple ongoing state & federal investigations and enforcement actions. For full scope, the seven-member Legal Department managed 10K+ client contracts and 1K+ consumer disputes, and a complex divestiture during tenure with the company. Orchestrated the complete redesign and launch of the SaaS payment platform.

I was relied upon as a strategic partner to the Executive team advising on and managing all legal matters. I headed a skilled legal team with eight attorneys and two paralegals managing thousands of client contracts and improved the team’s performance. In addition, I…Achieved a major win in litigation, resulting in the company receiving $700K.Designed/launched a new Records Retention program that netted $250K+ within the first year. Negotiated a Request for Proposal to secure projected savings of over $1MM.Oversaw the development of stronger anti-bribery, anti-corruption, and a number of other key policies.Drove the successful closing of five different M&As.

>Core experience examples: M&A; disposition of divisions and affiliates; human resources matters; technology and SaaS contracts; complex commercial litigation; independent contractor and sales force agreements; creditor matters; insider financing; regional litigation counsel; cross-border matters.>Key representations: Arena Football League; Navigant Consulting; tech companies; industrial equipment auction company; manufacturing companies; real estate investors; nursing homes; and lenders.G&R is a law firm with a passion for client service and an entrepreneurial spirit.

Joined Kovitz Shifrin Nesbit in order to expand its commercial practice and provide corporate bankruptcy services.

Commercial litigation and restructuring (incl. all aspects of 2008 mortgage crisis). Significant representations included Navigant Consulting, ComEd/Exelon, and Bank of America. Chicago office was Sachnoff & Weaver Ltd until SW combined with RS in March 2007.

Business attorney - corporate, litigation, insurance, employment, and regulatory matters. Representative clients include Philips Services, DePaul University, Unitrin, Creditors Committee in the United Airlines bankruptcy, Wickes Lumber, Airport Trade Center.