Aaron Chastain’s practice centers on the legal and regulatory risks associated with consumer credit. Starting with the belief that credit is what makes the world go around – and what makes a huge amount of goods and services available to the everyday consumer – Aaron helps his clients engage their customers in ways that maximize social benefits, consumer welfare, and profits. His clients include mortgage lenders and servicers, residential solar developers and finance companies, banks, healthcare providers, and educational finance providers.
Aaron draws on a wide range of experiences as a lawyer. He has had significant time in the courtroom, briefing hundreds of appellate matters and presenting dozens of oral arguments in state and federal courtrooms stretching from Brooklyn to San Francisco. He has served as lead counsel in multiple jury trials and has experienced the thrill and the stress of picking a jury, making opening and closing arguments, examining witnesses, and waiting for a verdict announcement. Aaron has also managed complex litigation – including class actions – always trying to use every stage of the case, from pleadings to discovery to dispositive motions, to achieve the best possible outcome for his clients.
Despite his background as a trial and appellate lawyer, Aaron has an equal amount of experience helping his clients navigate regulatory compliance issues. He has devoted thousands of hours scrutinizing regulations issued by agencies such as state banking departments, the OCC, the CFPB, the FTC, and HHS and helping his clients think through compliance issues in their product offerings, advertising, loan servicing, and collections. Aaron has specific experience with issues arising under the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), including the many rules and regulations interpreting those statutes.
Whether it’s litigating a case or advising clients how to avoid regulatory problems, Aaron strives to provide plain language, practical advice. He finds that helping his clients solve problems in a way that accomplishes their business goals is the most rewarding part of his practice.
Salvador v. Bank of America, N.A., __ F. App’x __, 2017 WL 2189586 (9th Cir. May 17, 2017)
Represented lien holder in defeating claims that lien was extinguished by homeowners’ association’s foreclosure sale under Nevada law.
Clark v. Chase Bank USA, N.A., 643 F. App’x 838 (11th Cir. 2016)
Represented mortgage servicer in obtaining appellate court’s affirmance of dismissal of complaint alleging claims for fraud, breach of contract and wrongful foreclosure.
Shepherd v. U.S. Bank, N.A., 202 So. 3d 302 (Ala. 2015)
Represented financial institution in obtaining reversal of $4 million for claims related to mortgage origination and servicing.
United States v. AseraCare Inc., 153 F. Supp. 3d 1372 (N.D. Ala. 2015)
Represented hospice company in obtaining summary judgment in $200 million False Claims Act case.
Armour v. Monsanto Co., 995 F. Supp. 2d 1273 (N.D. Ala. Feb. 3, 2014)
Represented chemical companies in obtaining dismissal of claims related to alleged PCB-contamination in light of settlement agreement.