Meagan Mihalko
Richmond,Virginia
Summary
Dedicated legal professional offering Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) expertise with extensive history representing Early Warning Services, LLC as outside counsel. Proven success in building trusting rapport with clients and offering sound legal advice in clear and universal terms. Hardworking team player dedicated to client advocacy and success.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
Associate in Consumer Financial Services Litigation Group
Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP
07.2015 - Current
- Manage and lead teams on complex class actions and individual FCRA litigation nationwide in federal and state courts on behalf of financial institutions, consumer reporting agencies, background screening companies, specialty consumer reporting agencies, national reseller, furnishers, and data wholesalers;
- Counsel and advise clients on FCRA compliance including review of contract provisions, accuracy policies and procedures, and dispute reinvestigation procedures;
- Manage and develop client strategy and responses to Civil Investigative Demands and requests for information, including from state attorney generals and Federal Trade Commission;
- Advise and counsel clients on industry trends related to FCRA, artificial intelligence, and privacy;
- Manage and lead team handling national litigation portfolio for specialty consumer reporting agency and background screening company, including: (1) coordinating strategic and consistent defense strategies based on client’s overall litigation goals; (2) hiring and managing local counsel in jurisdictions throughout the country; (3) managing litigation team including partners, associates, and paralegals; and (4) identifying additional compliance areas based on litigation trends and results;
- Primary responsibilities include: managing heavy and demanding caseload and all aspects of litigation, including direct client contact, drafting dispositive and non-dispositive motions, managing all aspects of written discovery, depositions, e-discovery, and expert discovery; working directly with clients to develop litigation strategy at all stages, including early case assessment and exposure analysis; negotiating settlements both on class and individual matters; providing compliance advice on complex issues; and managing junior associates, staff attorneys, paralegals and outside local counsel.
Associate in Commercial Litigation Group
LeClair Ryan, A Professional Corporation
09.2010 - 07.2015
- Defended class action and individual FCRA and Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) cases; Other representative matters include: defense of False Claims Act case; products liability defense; and general contract disputes;
- Trial team member on two federal jury trial, tasks included drafting pleadings, dispositive motions, discovery, jury instructions, and trial materials.
Summer Law Clerk
United States Attorney’s Office, E.D. Virginia
06.2009 - 08.2009
Education
Juris Doctor -
The University of Richmond School of Law
Richmond, VA05.2010
B.A. - Print Journalism
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA05.2007
Skills
- Client Engagement
- Practice Management
- Team Leadership
- Product Knowledge
Speaking Engagements
- Navigating FCRA Trends: A 2023 Review and Forward-Looking Insights for 2024, Troutman Pepper, 10/19/2023
- Can ChatGPT Take Adverse Action? Benefits and Pitfalls of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Background Screening, PBSA Annual Conference, 09/11/2023
- Addressing Vendor Management and Contracts at the Start to Avoid Litigation, 2023 Mid-Year Legislative & Regulatory Conference, 04/17/2023
- Credit Reporting and FDCPA Issues: How to Best Advocate for the Client, The Tidewater Bankruptcy Bar’s 30th Annual Hal J. Bonney Jr., Seminar on Bankruptcy Law and Practice, 02/25/2022
- The Devil’s in the Details, Richmond Bar Association - Business Law and Corporate Counsel CLE, 12/16/2020
- Perfecting Judgments & Seizing Assets CLE, Rossdale CLE, 06/19/2019
- Updates on the FCRA, 14th Annual Credit and Collection News Conference, 03/28/2019
- A Holistic Review of the Law and Employment Background Screening, 05/23/2018
- Furnisher Duties Under the FCRA, 02/13/2018
Publications
- Troutman Pepper Publishes 2023 Consumer Financial Services Year in Review and A Look Ahead, Troutman Pepper, 02/01/2024
- What We Learned From 2022′s Top FCRA Developments, Law360, 01/13/2023
- Credit Bureaus Dramatically Reduce Medical Debt Credit Reporting, Troutman Pepper, 03/22/2022
- Ninth Circuit Affirms Summary Judgment for CRA in Seven-Year Look-Back Case, Troutman Pepper, 02/15/2022
- 2021 Consumer Financial Services Year in Review & A Look Ahead, Troutman Pepper, 01/28/2022
- 5 Questions on Standing in the Wake of TransUnion, Law360, 07/22/2021
- 2019 Consumer Financial Services Year in Review & A Look Ahead, Troutman Sanders, 02/24/2020
- 2018 Consumer Financial Services Year in Review & A Look Ahead, Troutman Sanders, 01/28/2019
- Annual Report: 2017 Consumer Financial Services Year in Review and a Look Ahead, 01/10/2018
- The Question of Rule 68, ACA International Collector Magazine, 07/01/2017
Hobbies and Interests
- Tennis (playing and watching)
- Reading Southern fiction
- Collecting seashells
- Interior decorating enthusiast
Community Service
- Federal Bar Association, Director
- Troutman Pepper Recruiting Committee
Recognitions
Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch:
- Financial Services Regulation Law (2021-2024);
- Litigation – Banking and Finance (2024);
- Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants (2023-2024)
Super Lawyers: Rising Star, Virginia (2015-2023)
Richmond Magazine, Top Attorneys in Richmond, Rising Star (2015, 2018-2019, 2021-2023)
Timeline
Associate in Consumer Financial Services Litigation Group
Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP
07.2015 - Current
Associate in Commercial Litigation Group
LeClair Ryan, A Professional Corporation
09.2010 - 07.2015
Summer Law Clerk
United States Attorney’s Office, E.D. Virginia
06.2009 - 08.2009
Juris Doctor -
The University of Richmond School of Law
B.A. - Print Journalism
James Madison University
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