When financial services companies and other businesses find themselves threatened with or embroiled in litigation, they turn to me for assistance. With my experience and breadth of knowledge of state and federal consumer protection statutes, I work closely with my clients to tailor a legal strategy to not only resolve their issues in the most expedient and cost-effective manner, but to also ensure that the underlying issues are remedied on a company-wide basis.
James “Jim” W. Sandy is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer who represents individuals, small businesses, and Fortune 500 companies in all aspects of civil and commercial litigation. Financial services companies of varying sizes have engaged Jim based on his significant experience handling complex single-party and class action disputes in state and federal courts, in matters with financial exposure reaching seven figures. He also advises clients outside the financial industry in data privacy and cybersecurity matters, as well as clients involved the cannabis space.
Jim’s primary focus is on assisting and advising national mortgage servicing companies, auto finance companies, banks, and small businesses in cases involving federal and state regulatory matters, arbitrations, consumer complaints filed with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and state and federal lawsuits. Jim regularly defends lawsuits brought under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act and other state UDAAP (Unfair, Deceptive, or Abusive Acts or Practices) laws, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), and Truth in Lending Act (TILA) in both state and federal courts. He also assists mortgage and auto finance clients with compliance matters, including protecting consumer data and privacy, as well as navigating the various complicated state regulatory regimes at play in the financial services context.
In the privacy arena, Jim acts as in-house counsel for small business clients, advising on data security and privacy policies and analyzing the applicability and requirements of state, federal, and global privacy regimes, such as Europe’s GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). On the litigation side, Jim has defended clients in privacy class actions involving claims related to data breaches.
Nationwide, Jim represents a variety of cannabis industry clients in compliance as well as litigation. He has handled Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT Act) compliance for vape companies, advised on employment agreements between cannabis companies and their contracted sales reps and sales agreements between manufacturers and dispensaries, and managed breach of contract disputes. As this area of law evolves and expands, Jim looks forward to providing first-class service to marijuana and ancillary companies, as well as financiers and lenders involved in this space.
An experienced appellate advocate, Jim has handled more than 80 appellate matters. He has delivered oral arguments before all 12 state appellate courts in Ohio as well as before the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Jim also advises clients on general corporate and business matters including entity formation, corporate governance, and vendor and service agreements.