FinTech

The financial services industry is experiencing an unprecedented technology revolution. Recent studies predict that worldwide IT spending for financial services will reach $500 billion before decade’s end, and FinTech investment has tripled globally since 2008.

The increased complexity of financial products, stringent oversight and regulation, and the need to improve profitability and streamline processes are driving financial institutions and financial services participants to deploy a growing range of finance-related software. As one of the only law firms with market-leading technology and financial industry practices, Goodwin has been advising clients in the FinTech sector for over a decade and has extensive experience working with both established and emerging businesses in virtually all market segments.

Our FinTech attorneys – supported by strong and well-established cross-disciplinary teams in private equity, intellectual property litigation, consumer financial services litigation, business litigation and government investigations – are committed to providing outstanding client service and offer practical, strategic and cost-effective counsel.

With significant depth of experience, a wide footprint in key industry markets and diverse and dynamic clients, Goodwin is uniquely positioned as a “one-stop” shop for FinTech clients pursuing strategic transactions, regulatory compliance and litigation matters.

FinTech Sector Experience includes:

Bank processes - Core bank processors, electronic data storage, encryption technology, peer-to-peer lending, loans & mortgages
Capital markets - Exchanges, trading & risk management, trading platforms and facilitators, securities processing, risk management, investment management
Payments – digital currency, networks, processors, prepayment cards, E-commerce money transfer, ATM processing, hardware/software
Insurance
Financial Information Services
Payroll/HR/HCM

Representative Services:

Private equity and venture capital financing
M&A Transactions
IPOs and other exits
Joint ventures, strategic alliances, outsourcing
IP counseling, prosecution, licensing, and litigation
Securities and bank regulatory counseling, licensing, and litigation
Privacy and cybersecurity compliance counseling, analytics, and litigation
Defense of AG, FTC, and other government enforcement actions

PitchBook

Ranked Top 5 law firm for venture capital financings for the past two years
SNL Financial

Ranked Among Top Law Firms for M&A in FinTech.

As a growing technology company, your prospects are exciting and your challenges are unique – from securing funding, protecting IP, and navigating the regulatory environment, to differentiating yourself in the marketplace, managing customer acquisition and scaling your business. We get it. We are proud to bring a comprehensive, coordinated approach that interconnects business, new technologies and the law.

At Goodwin, we share your entrepreneurial spirit. We developed Founders Workbench, a free online legal advisory resource to help entrepreneurs navigate many of the legal and organizational challenges commonly faced by start-ups and emerging companies. We partner with you to grow your business and realize your potential more effectively – with a combination of legal experience and business savvy that can scale with management teams from the earliest stages of development through mature public company. We support clients at all stages of the corporate life cycle with legal advice related to company formation, IP protection, licensing, commercial agreements and venture financing to IPOs, M&A, corporate governance, board matters and more.

With 180+ lawyers dedicated to the industry, we have one of the largest and most recognized technology practices in the United States. Consistently rated in the top five most active of all law firms for venture capital, IPOs and M&A, we draw on our deep experience and network of clients and investors to provide the most effective and efficient counsel for today’s emerging companies.

From acquiring a company to raising public or private funds to defending lawsuits or government investigations and enforcement actions, we provide strategic and tactical advice, a range of pragmatic options, and bottom-line results. We do more than just help our clients survive the current challenges; we partner with them to find the best solutions and identify new business opportunities.

In the face of a competitive marketplace, elite private equity firms expect counsel with extensive experience and a stable of blue chip relationships. That’s why private equity firms have been entrusting their deals to Goodwin for decades. Our Private Equity team ranks as one of the top in the United States, and we are on a trajectory of rapid ascent, both in the U.S. and worldwide. The group is a market leader in the expansive middle market sector, having earned a reputation for notable buyouts, growth equity deals and growth company representations in key sectors such as technology, healthcare, financial and business services, consumer and manufacturing.

Intellectual property assets represent significant value for businesses in the United States. For some clients, these assets represent an entire career or a body of research; for others, they're a 100-year-old trademark, or a newly acquired license. Whether it’s structuring transactions or resolving high-stakes property disputes, we understand the unique needs of each client, and anticipate how those needs will change over time. With superior experience– from scientists who’ve worked in the field, to litigators with International Trade Commission and federal court experience – we’re privileged to represent national and international companies in a broad cross-section of industries.

Consumer financial services companies face a broad spectrum of issues unique to the industry, and you need counsel that understands the challenges the industry faces. With one of the most preeminent consumer financial services litigation practice groups in the nation, our lawyers know your industry. With experience in regulatory counseling and examinations, government investigations, enforcement proceedings, and litigation, we defend many of the nation’s largest financial institutions, including prominent banks, mortgage companies, credit card issuers, and insurers, in high-stakes consumer financial services litigation cases and government enforcement actions across the country.

Companies often face complex disputes with other businesses, government entities, or groups of individuals, which require an understanding of both the business issue and the industry of the client. Our Business Litigation practice specializes in handling these complex disputes, representing leaders in diverse industry sectors, including many Fortune 100 companies, in connection with their most important litigation matters. What sets us apart from our peers is our depth of trial and arbitration experience, class action expertise, and connections to the specialized business litigation courts across the country.

Whether you’re a chief executive officer or member of the board, knowing what to do and having the right partner when the government comes knocking can mean the difference between quiet resolution or a very public indictment. Fortune 500 companies, corporate executives, directors and other individual business leaders repeatedly turn to Goodwin when faced with the most sensitive, complex and potentially damaging white collar litigation. That’s because we’ve successfully represented clients in many of the most high profile white collar matters in recent memory. We can do the same for you.

Goodwin’s technical expertise, geographic footprint in key industry markets, and depth of experience allows us to offer unprecedented service to help our clients capitalize on opportunities and meet the challenges of this evolving industry. Our digital currency and blockchain technology practice is supported by well-established teams of nationally recognized lawyers with expertise across many areas affecting digital currencies including ICOs, corporate and securities laws, venture financing, regulatory, intellectual property, banking compliance, SEC and criminal defense, private equity, securities litigation, real estate, corporate M+A, investment funds, and privacy and cybersecurity.

Technology

Financial Industry