Ross T. Handler
- Washington, D.C.
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Ross provides legal guidance to fintech, nonbank, and financial services institutions, ensuring compliance with federal and state finance laws.
Ross Handler advises clients on laws related to money transmission, consumer and commercial lending, and payments constructs.
Ross brings extensive experience in drafting, negotiating, and executing corporate transactional agreements in consumer and commercial payments matters. This includes incentive deals between merchants and card networks, bank partnership agreements, co-branded credit card agreements, and payment processing agreements for global retailers. He also provides regulatory counsel for payments constructs such as gift cards, payroll, marketplace solutions, and payment processing.
Additionally, Ross served as seconded counsel to a global payment facilitator in its Payments Risk Legal and Money Movement Services and Payouts groups, where he interacted with platform users to support new customer-facing payments products and services. Beyond his professional practice, Ross is actively engaged in pro bono work, representing clients in various legal matters, including landlord-tenant disputes, parole hearings, and asylum claims.
Areas of focus
Industries
Services
Education & Credentials
Education
- American University Washington College of Law, J.D., Editor-in-Chief, Administrative Law Review, 2017
- American University School of International Service, Master's, International Affairs in Risk Management and Corporate Governance, 2017
- Muhlenberg College, B.A., International Relations and Spanish, magna cum laude, 2014
Bar and Court Admissions
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District of Columbia
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New York
Related Employment
- Cooley LLP, Washington, D.C., Associate, 2021-2022
- Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP, Washington, D.C., Associate, 2019-2020
- Buckley LLP, Washington, D.C., Law Clerk and Attorney, 2016-2019
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, Washington, D.C., Summer Judicial Clerk to the Hon. Margaret Ryan, 2015
Professional Recognition
Recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for Privacy and Data Security Law, 2024-2025
Impact
Professional Leadership
- American Bar Association:
Consumer Financial Services Committee, Deposits and Payment Products Subcommittee, Vice Chair, 2024-Present; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Taskforce, 2020-2024
Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice, Member, 2017-Present
Section of Business Law Practice, Member, 2017-Present - The National LGBTQ Bar Association, Member, 2017-Present
Community Involvement
- Legal Counsel for the Elderly, Chair of Young Lawyers Alliance, 2019-Present
- Whitman-Walker Health and Legal Services, Pro Bono Volunteer Attorney, 2018-Present
- D.C. Bar Small Business Pro Bono Clinic, Pro Bono Volunteer Attorney, 2021-Present
- Muhlenberg College Alumni Board, Chair of Career Services Committee, 2019-Present
- Muhlenberg College Board of Trustees, Weiss Fellow, 2022-2024
- Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, Mission Committee Chair, 2021-2024
