Andy Lorentz

He has deep expertise, combined with an excellent negotiation demeanour and business-minded advice."

"He is deeply familiar with the payments industry, and he has been able to provide clear, well-reasoned guidance for all issues we have brought to him. Furthermore, he has been fantastic with counterparties during contract negotiations."

Client Quote, Chambers FinTech Guide

As Co-Chair of DWT's Financial Services Group, Andrew Lorentz is responsible for strategic planning, lateral recruiting, culture development, attorney mentorship, and ensuring a uniformly high level of client service. Andy helps clients find the shortest path through the maze of regulations between their vision and the launch and scaling of innovative financial services businesses and products. A relentless team builder and the founder and co-chair of DWT's fintech practice, he advises on complex regulatory issues, negotiates transactions, helps resolve disputes, and offers insight on developing legal concepts amid continual technological innovation.

Named as one of the country's top fintech lawyers for payments and lending by Chambers & Partners (Band 2), Andy represents clients of all kinds and sizes: banks and non-depository financial institutions; technology companies ranging from established global players to startups; fintech unicorns and neo-banks, e-commerce companies, payment processors, and program managers of all kinds. Many of Andy's clients have cross-border operations, and he and the DWT team have advised many companies on their initial entry to the U.S. market. Clients frequently comment on the breadth of perspective as a particular strength of the practice.

A large part of Andy's leadership in DWT's financial services group and his own practice concentrates on emerging technologies, the business models they enable, and the novel legal issues that arise as they intersect with ever-changing financial regulations. He advises on matters crucial to everyday technology and financial services: mobile, P2P, smart contracts, blockchain, cryptocurrency, and all kinds of networks, including ACH, RTP, credit, debit, and other networks. He negotiates new relationships involving major institutions and technology providers, counseling clients on business planning, regulatory compliance, and conflict de-escalation, relationship transitions, and resolution. He also represents companies that provide alternative financing to businesses and consumers.

Andy is particularly adept at navigating interlocking legal regimes for financial services providers offering innovative SaaS solutions – for example in the complex areas of employee benefits (with the DWT benefits team), deposits and stored value (with the DWT core bank regulatory team), and cryptocurrency (with the DWT securities and commodities teams). A particular area of emphasis in Andy's practice across financial institutions and their partners of all kinds is anti-money laundering compliance under the Bank Secrecy Act and associated laws and regulations and matters involving the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions, often in close collaboration with other OFAC experts.

Andy is committed to driving change within the delivery of legal services, drawing on lessons learned from the industry's most innovative and disruptive companies, and he and the team seek to match the energy and enthusiasm of their great clients. He seeks client relationships that allow for a joint focus on value delivered and continuous improvement and afford the greatest opportunities for the further development of DWT's amazing people.