Eric Jon Taylor

Eric’s practice focuses on class action defense and related internal investigations, including trial work, in all aspects of the financial services industry.

Eric’s practice focuses on complex litigation, internal investigations and trial work. He has broad experience, both from working as lead trial counsel in many high profile cases and as in-house chief litigation counsel for the US subsidiary of a Fortune 20 financial services company. His practice focuses primarily on defense in all aspects of banking, housing, insurance and financial services litigation, with a primary concentration on defense of class actions and individual lawsuits in federal and state courts (including ECOA, FCRA, and FDCPA claims). Eric also advises clients on their practices and procedures related to mortgage servicing, mortgage insurance, life insurance, annuity and mutual fund sales, 1933, 1934, and 1940 Act issues, fair housing, consumer lending and debt collection (including credit reporting issues under the FCRA). In addition, he has handled numerous ERISA matters, including several successful trials. He also frequently conducts internal investigations on all of these issues for his clients.

Relevant Experience

As In-House Counsel:

• Managerial responsibility for approximately 350 active litigation files. This litigation ran the gamut from employment matters to complex securities litigation to class action consumer cases.
• Led numerous internal investigations, directing large and small teams covering all aspects of corporate compliance.
• Developed significant legal subject matter focus with Life Insurance, Retail Annuities, Mutual Funds, Re-insurance, Employee Benefits and Retirement Service/Defined Contribution Plans, 1933, 1934, and 1940 Act issues, as well as SEC investigations and FINRA arbitration in customer cases.

As Outside Counsel:

• Lead counsel in several overdraft, ECOA, and FCRA Class Actions.
• Managed engagement with several mortgage servicers on all mortgage insurance dispute issues.
• Representations of defendants in a wide variety of employment and consumer claims involving race and gender discrimination, including jury trial and arbitration experience.
• Extensive experience with cases involving statistical analyses and complex decision modeling, including class claims of employment discrimination and discriminatory loan and insurance pricing.
• Representation of defendants in complex litigation, particularly focusing on class actions; co-trial counsel in successful defense of Title VII class action against the State of California and its teacher licensing examination.
• Experience as lead attorney in numerous trials (both jury and bench) arbitrations and mediations.
• Representation of Broker-Dealers, Funds and individuals in 1933, 1934, and 1940 Act litigation and enforcement actions.
• Counseling of clients in litigation avoidance, “Best Practices,” and compliance issues.
• Experience in federal and state regulatory investigations and enforcement actions concerning lending and housing discrimination issues and fair trade practice concerns.
• Substantive litigation experience with lending, housing and employment discrimination, securities, telecommunications, public utilities, investment partnerships, and health care issues.