PRACTICE AREAS
FinTech
01
Financial Technology
Paul Soter advises financial technology companies at the start-up, product development, and product evolution stages. His clients include entities that seek innovative ways to extend consumer and commercial financing; move funds; market financial services; and reach underserved markets. His clients in the space are both domestic and international based.
State-Licenced Finance Companies
02
State-Licenced Finance Companies
Paul Soter advises companies that are or need to be licensed by state authorities, with particular emphasis on California. He provides advice on licensing, legal and regulatory compliance, product development, marketing, and regulator relations. Mr. Soter has broad experience in dealing with state regulatory agencies, and in particular works with the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation on an almost daily basis.
Retail Installment Sales - Buy Now/Pay Later
03
Retail Installment Sales - Buy Now / Pay Later
Paul Soter has worked in the retail installment sales space since 1982. He has seen and advised in the evolution of the space from a largely small-business directed product with a vigorous secondary market in dealer paper, to disintermediation by co-branded bank, back to the current environment of a holder-directed secondary market in dealer paper and the new wave of Buy Now/Pay Later fintech-driven products.
Federally - and State Chartered Depository Institutions
04
Federally - and State-Chartered Depository Institutions
Paul Soter continues to advise national banks and federally-chartered savings institutions as well as state-chartered banks. He is also active in “bank partnership” projects involving banks as counterparties to finance companies, service providers, and fintechs. He is familiar with the regulations applicable to bank activities and to regulator driven bank responses to innovative partnership arrangements.
06
07
Litigation Support
05
Litigation Support
Paul Soter provides litigation support to outside and in-house counsel representing financial intermediaries in litigation matters. This support includes assessing litigation risk and settlement alternatives; providing background education on technical compliance and regulatory issues; assisting in drafting pleadings; negotiating with adverse parties and regulators, primarily in pre-litigation situations; and serving as expert witnesses for depositions, trials, and administrative hearings. He has performed these functions both as associated counsel and as an advisor retained directly by other law firms. He is currently retained as an expert in two litigation matters: (1) a class action against the holder of retail installment sale paper, and (2) dispute over the coverage of the California financing law to a series of commercial financing transactions.
Service Providers
06
Service Providers
Paul Soter provides advice to entities developing and marketing financial service – related products to financial intermediaries. These clients include fintechs, system vendors, compliance services, and others.
Commercial Finance
07
Litigation Support
Paul Soter provides advice, documentation, compliance advice, and regularly tour relations guidance with regard to commercial loans and other forms of commercial financing, primarily in the small and medium-sized lending space. His clients include specialized California lenders, nationwide lenders, and international lenders, and providers of factoring and merchant cash advance financing.