Emerging Issues & Strategic Innovation

Work

In the field before the problem has a name. Moving before the framework exists.

The most consequential work I've done didn't start with a case or a rule. It started with a question nobody had quite asked yet — and the ability to act on it before a legal theory existed, before an agency had a framework, before the harm was visible at scale. Identifying the problem is only half of it. The other half is building something to address it, often from scratch and usually under time pressure.

"The most consequential work doesn't start with a case. It starts with a question nobody has quite asked yet."

Selected work

Four examples of emerging problems identified early, novel approaches developed to address them, and results that changed the terms.

Technology & Litigation

Building one of the first plaintiff-side document review tools

The problem

Large-scale consumer protection litigation generates document volumes that dwarf the capacity of traditional review. The tools that existed were built for defense-side work, at defense-side prices — leaving public enforcement advocates at a systematic disadvantage.

What we did

Identified the technology gap early — before it became a recognized problem in public enforcement circles
Built one of the first plaintiff-side document review systems combining early machine-learning tools with purpose-built workflow design
Structured the system to let a small public enforcement team move at the speed and scale of large institutional adversaries

Significance

Changed the resource calculus for public enforcement. Demonstrated that technology could be a force multiplier for under-resourced advocates taking on well-resourced defendants — a model that has since become standard practice.

Infrastructure & Networks

Creating a student debt advisory and referral network at the NC AG's office

The problem

North Carolina borrowers had no organized way to get help navigating a student loan system that was actively working against them. The AG's office had enforcement capacity but no infrastructure for direct borrower assistance.

What we did

Designed and built a statewide advisory and referral network from scratch — connecting borrowers to legal aid, nonprofit counselors, and state resources
Created intake systems to capture borrower complaints and route them to the right organizations
Built feedback loops so enforcement intelligence flowed back from frontline counselors to investigators

Significance

Turned the AG's enforcement presence into a two-way channel. Borrowers got help. The office got real-time intelligence about emerging harms that fed directly into subsequent investigations — including the Navient matter.

Rapid Response & Systems

Return to Repayment supervisory leadership

The problem

When the pandemic-era student loan payment pause ended, roughly 28 million borrowers were returning to repayment simultaneously — a policy transition with no historical precedent and enormous potential for servicer misconduct and consumer harm.

What we did

Designed and led a real-time national supervisory initiative at the CFPB — before the transition began, not after problems surfaced
Deployed multiple national investigative teams with coordinated rapid-response legal analysis protocols
Built infrastructure to identify and address emerging harms as they appeared rather than months later through standard review cycles
Secured substantial remediation for millions of borrowers during the transition period

Significance

An award-winning initiative that established a model for real-time consumer protection supervision during large-scale market transitions — applicable well beyond the student loan context.