Midlevel Regulatory Associate - Fintech

Fenwick & West; Santa Monica (CA); On-site; USD 260,000 - 390,000; Full time

Job summary

Fenwick & West is seeking a talented attorney to join its fintech regulatory practice in Santa Monica. You will advise clients on the development and launch of fintech products, navigate payments and licensing requirements, and structure bank-fintech partnerships across networks and processors.

The role involves drafting commercial agreements, implementing regulatory policies, and guiding complex transactions with a focus on fintech and financial services regulation.

Qualifications

• Three to six years of relevant experience at a law firm, financial institution, fintech company, government agency or comparable setting.
• Substantive experience in payments/money movement, money transmission or licensing, bank-fintech partnerships, or consumer/commercial finance.
• Experience drafting and negotiating commercial agreements relating to financial products, payments, bank partnerships, technology platforms or other regulated services.
• Ability to understand complex products and business models, identify regulatory issues and communicate practical advice clearly to legal and business stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Advise fintech, technology and financial-services companies on development and launch of new products and business models, including analyzing product structures and funds flows and regulatory requirements.
• Counsel on payments, money transmission, lending and other financial-services regulatory matters, including licensing strategies and compliance.
• Structure and advise on bank-fintech partnerships, embedded-finance arrangements and relationships with banks, processors, networks and providers.
• Draft and negotiate commercial agreements supporting fintech and financial-services products, including bank partnerships, payments and related tech/service-provider arrangements.
• Help implement regulatory requirements through product terms, disclosures, policies, BSA/AML programs, marketing reviews, licensing strategies and compliance measures.
• Advise on regulatory aspects of investments, financings and strategic transactions involving fintech/financial-services, including regulatory diligence and change-of-control filings.
• Manage substantial components of matters independently and supervise junior team members.

Skills

Regulatory experience

Payments and money movement

Bank-fintech partnerships

Commercial agreements drafting

Regulatory diligence

Education

Bar admission (CA/WA/NY/DC or MA preferred)

Job description

• Advise fintech, technology and financial-services companies on the development and launch of new products and business models, including analyzing product structures and funds flows and identifying applicable federal and state regulatory requirements.
• Counsel clients on payments, money transmission, lending and other financial-services regulatory matters, including state licensing strategies, NMLS applications, exemptions and ongoing compliance with applicable federal and state requirements.
• Structure and advise on bank-fintech partnerships, embedded-finance arrangements and other relationships involving banks, payment processors, card networks and financial-services providers, including FBO/deposit structures and program-risk allocation.
• Draft and negotiate commercial agreements supporting fintech and financial-services products, including bank partnership, payments, card, processing, program-management and related technology and service-provider arrangements.
• Help clients implement regulatory requirements through product terms, consumer disclosures, policies, BSA/AML programs, marketing review, licensing strategies and other compliance measures.
• Advise on the regulatory aspects of investments, financings, acquisitions and other strategic transactions involving fintech and financial-services companies, including regulatory diligence and change-of-control filings.
• Manage substantial components of matters independently, communicate directly with clients and business teams, coordinate with lawyers across practice areas and supervise junior team members as appropriate.

What You Will Do

• Advise fintech, technology and financial-services companies on the development and launch of new products and business models, including analyzing product structures and funds flows and identifying applicable federal and state regulatory requirements.
• Counsel clients on payments, money transmission, lending and other financial-services regulatory matters, including state licensing strategies, NMLS applications, exemptions and ongoing compliance with applicable federal and state requirements.
• Structure and advise on bank-fintech partnerships, embedded-finance arrangements and other relationships involving banks, payment processors, card networks and financial-services providers, including FBO/deposit structures and program-risk allocation.
• Draft and negotiate commercial agreements supporting fintech and financial-services products, including bank partnership, payments, card, processing, program-management and related technology and service-provider arrangements.
• Help clients implement regulatory requirements through product terms, consumer disclosures, policies, BSA/AML programs, marketing review, licensing strategies and other compliance measures.
• Advise on the regulatory aspects of investments, financings, acquisitions and other strategic transactions involving fintech and financial-services companies, including regulatory diligence and change-of-control filings.
• Manage substantial components of matters independently, communicate directly with clients and business teams, coordinate with lawyers across practice areas and supervise junior team members as appropriate.

Qualifications

Required

• Three to six years of relevant experience at a law firm, financial institution, fintech company, government agency or comparable setting.
• Substantive experience in at least one core area: payments and money movement, money transmission or financial-services licensing, bank-fintech partnerships, or consumer/commercial finance.
• Experience drafting and negotiating commercial agreements relating to financial products, payments, bank partnerships, technology platforms or other regulated services.
• Ability to understand complex products and business models, identify regulatory issues and communicate practical advice clearly to legal and business stakeholders.
• CA, WA, NY, or DC, MA bar preferred, but not required
• Superior academic credentials, excellent oral, written, and interpersonal skills

Preferred Experience

• Consumer or small-business lending (including BNPL, earned-wage access, marketplace lending or alternative finance)
• Digital assets, stablecoins or blockchain-based financial products
• BSA/AML, sanctions and financial-crime compliance
• Bank regulatory matters (prudential supervision, chartering, permissible activities)
• Card networks, ACH/NACHA, Reg E or payment processing
• Broker-dealer, investment-adviser or other securities regulation
• CFTC-regulated activity, derivatives, or prediction markets
• Regulatory examinations or enforcement matters
• Fintech M&A or licensing change-of-control work
• Experience working with financial regulators such as the OCC, CFTC, or state financial regulators

Candidate Profile

The strongest candidates will be intellectually curious about financial technology and comfortable working with evolving products and regulatory frameworks. They should enjoy understanding how products work at a technical and operational level, exercising judgment in areas where the law may be developing, and translating complex regulatory requirements into practical solutions for startup and growth-stage clients. Candidates with strong regulatory fundamentals, relevant commercial experience and a demonstrated ability to learn new products and legal frameworks quickly are encouraged to apply.

About The Practice

Fenwick’s fintech regulatory practice advises technology and financial-services companies on the full lifecycle of innovative financial products—from product design and regulatory analysis through licensing, commercial implementation and ongoing compliance. Our clients include companies building and operating payments platforms, lending products, digital-asset businesses, prediction markets, embedded-finance programs, bank partnerships and other next-generation financial services. The role provides an opportunity to develop as a broad fintech counselor, working directly with clients on both the legal architecture and commercial implementation of new financial products, with meaningful responsibility and close team collaboration.

Benefits And Compensation Details

At Fenwick, we believe that our partners and employees are our most important asset. Helping you and your families achieve and maintain good health - physical, emotional, and financial - is the reason we offer a comprehensive benefit program. We provide benefits to eligible employees under plans such as Healthcare, Life Insurance, Health Savings Accounts, Flexible Spending Accounts, and Wellbeing. Except as otherwise required by law, temporary employees are generally not entitled to these benefits.

The Anticipated Range For This Position Is

$260,000 - $390,000

Depending on the role, the actual base salary offered may depend upon a variety of factors, including without limitation, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and if applicable, the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job.

A discretionary bonus for eligible employees may also be available based on performance. Additional information about employee eligibility for benefits and discretionary bonus will be made available upon request.