Bryan leads the firm’s class action practice group, focusing his national practice on consumer financial services litigation under the various “alphabet soup” statutes.
He represents large financial institutions involved in credit card, auto finance, banking, and mortgage litigation, alleging violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, Truth in Lending Act, Credit Repair Organizations Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Bankruptcy Discharge Injunction and Stay, and state law consumer protection statutes. He also represents financial institutions and business clients in disputes that include allegations of fraud, conspiracy, civil RICO, and breach of contract. More recently, Bryan has successfully defended employers in background check class actions, alleging violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act’s standalone and adverse action disclosure requirements.
Prior to joining McGuireWoods, Bryan served as a law clerk for the Honorable Elizabeth Lacy of the Supreme Court of Virginia. He was a recipient of the Trial Advocacy Award, awarded to one graduating law student, at the College of William and Mary Marshall-Wythe School of Law.
Experience
- Defense of employers, including financial institutions, in class action lawsuits alleging violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act’s background check disclosure requirements.
- Defense of a national bank in multidistrict litigation, where plaintiffs alleged an unlawful increase in their interest rates on credit cards.
- Defense of national bank in putative class action litigation, where plaintiffs allege improper allocation of credit card payments under the Credit CARD Act of 2009.
- Defense of national bank in putative class action litigation alleging foreclosure abuses and “robo-signing.”
- Advising financial institutions on compliance with the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.
- Advising national bank on compliance with fair debt collection laws.
- William & Mary Law SchoolJD1995
-
University of VirginiaBAReligious Studies
with Distinction
1992
Member, Editorial Advisory Board, Banking, Law360, 2018-present
Member, Virginia State Bar
Member, American Bar Association
Member, Richmond Bar Association
- Moderator, Class Action Review, January 25, 2022
- Panelist, Is There a Vaccine for Class Actions, Too?, February 3, 2021
- Moderator, Class Action Review, Complimentary Webinar, December 12, 2019
- Moderator, Class Action Review, January 29, 2019
- Speaker, "Residential Mortgage Industry Ethics Lab: Ethical Considerations in Residential Mortgage Litigation and Class Actions," ACI’s 24th National Forum on Residential Mortgage Regulatory Enforcement & Litigation, September 2017
- Moderator, "In-house Insights on Balancing the Budget: Strategies for Keeping Litigation Costs in Check for the Residential Mortgage Industry," ACI’s 24th National Forum on Residential Mortgage Regulatory Enforcement & Litigation, September 2017
- Speaker, "Consumer Finance Class Action Litigation Trends and New and Emerging Procedural Considerations – Motions to Decertify," ACI’s 27th National Conference on Consumer Finance Class Actions & Litigation, January 24, 2017
- Speaker, "Consumer Finance Class Action Litigation Trends and New and Emerging Procedural Considerations – Motions to Decertify," ACI’s 26th National Conference on Consumer Finance Class Actions & Litigation, July 2016
- Speaker, "Update on Debt Collection and Credit Reporting Litigation and Enforcement Actions: Effective Defense Strategies for New and Emerging Claims and Government Enforcement Actions Arising From the FDCPA and FCRA," ACI’s 25th National Conference on Consumer Finance Class Actions & Litigation, April 2016
- Speaker, "Debt Collection and Credit Reporting Litigation and Enforcement Actions: Developing Effective Defense Strategies for New and Emerging Claims and Managing Government Enforcement Actions Arising From the FDCPA and the FCRA in Light of the Recent Large Settlement Award Ordered by the CFPB and FTC," ACI’s 24th National Conference on Consumer Finance: Class Actions & Litigation, January 2016
- Speaker, "Update on Debt Collection and Credit Reporting Litigation and Enforcement Actions: Effective Defense Strategies for New and Emerging Claims and Government Enforcement Actions Arising From the FDCPA and FCRA," ACI’s 22nd National Conference on Consumer Finance Class Actions and Litigation, April 2015
- Speaker, "What Every Creditor Needs To Know About the SCRA, Including the 6% Interest Rate Cap on Obligations, and Protections Against Default Judgments, Auto Repossessions, and Foreclosures; Recent Case Law Updates and Overview of Government Enforcement Actions," ACI’s 21st National Conference on Consumer Finance Class Actions and Litigation, January 2015
- Speaker, "Debt Collection and Credit Reporting Litigation and Enforcement Actions: Effective Defense Strategies for New and Emerging Claims and Government Enforcement Actions Arising From TCPA‚ FCRA‚ and FDCPA," ACI’s 19th National Conference on Consumer Finance Class Actions & Litigation, July 2014
- Speaker, "The Evolving Focus on Consumer Debt, Debt Collection (Creditors that Originate and Collect Debt and Third-Party Debt Collectors) and the Credit Reporting Markets: Effective Defense Strategies for New and Emerging Claims and Government Enforcement Actions Arising From TCPA, FDCPA, and FCRA," ACI’s 18th National Forum on Consumer Finance Class Actions & Litigation, April 2014
- Moderator, "Views From the Bench: Judicial Perspectives on the Latest Plaintiff Theories, Emerging Defense Strategies, Loan Modification Litigation, Foreclosure Documentation Errors, Bankruptcy Litigation, Class Certification, Case Management, E-Discovery, and More," Views From the Bench, January 2014
- Speaker, "Establishing Standing and Ensuring Compliance with New Document and Affidavit Procedures," ACI’s 8th National Forum on Residential Mortgage Litigation & Regulatory Enforcement, March 2012
- Speaker, "New and Emerging Federal and State Enforcement Actions," ACI’s 5th National Advanced Forum on Residential Mortgage Litigation & Regulatory Enforcement, October 2010
- Speaker, "Class Action Arbitration Waivers After Stolt-Nielsen," Strafford Publications CLE, August 2010
- Speaker, "Arbitration in Flux: How to Enforce Agreements in Today’s Climate," ACI 9th Annual Conference on Consumer Finance Class Actions & Litigation, January 2010
- Speaker, "Class Action Arbitration Waivers Under Attack: Drafting and Defending Employment and Consumer Arbitration Waivers," Strafford Publications CLE, July 2009
- Speaker, "Maintaining Professionalism and Ethics in Consumer Finance Class Actions & Litigation," ACI 8th Annual Conference on Consumer Finance Class Actions & Litigation, January 2009
- Hon. Elizabeth B. Lacy, Supreme Court of Virginia, 1995-1996
- Virginia
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia
Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, Litigation – Banking and Finance, 2017-2025; Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, 2024, 2025; Woodward/White, Inc.
Named to “Legal Elite,” Civil Litigation, Virginia Business, 2022, 2023, 2024
Named to “Virginia Super Lawyers,” Business Litigation, Consumer Law, Securities Litigation, Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 2011-2020
Selected to the “Banking Editorial Advisory Board,” Law360, 2018
Selected for inclusion as a “Leading Lawyer,” General Commercial Disputes, Legal 500 US, 2016-2018
Named to “Virginia Rising Stars,” Business Litigation, Consumer Law, Securities Litigation, Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 2007-2009
- Author, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. Townstone Financial, Inc., Class Action Countermeasures, July 22, 2024
- Author, Second Circuit Strikes Down Attempted Bankruptcy Contempt Proceedings In Class Context, Class Action Countermeasures, August 16, 2023
- Author, Ninth Circuit Reverses Award of Attorneys’ Fees More than 30 Times Greater than Amount Received by Class Members, Class Action Countermeasures, June 13, 2023
- Author, 9th Circuit Vacates District Court’s Order of Class Certification, Class Action Countermeasures, March 24, 2023
- Author, 5th Circuit Reverses ADA Class Certification Because the Class Is Not Ascertainable, Class Action Countermeasures, February 2, 2023
- Author, Employers Face Six-Year Statute of Limitations for Criminal Background Check Claims, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, February 1, 2023
- Author, First Circuit Deepens Circuit Split on Fairness of Class Settlements, Class Action Countermeasures, December 28, 2022
- Author, 3rd Circuit Provides Post-Transunion Guidance on Informational Injuries and Ascertainability, Class Action Countermeasures, September 21, 2022
- Author, 5th Circuit Sua Sponte Vacates Class-Certification Order for Lack of Standing, Class Action Countermeasures, August 23, 2022
- Author, 11th Circuit Vacates Class Certification, Settlement Due to Members’ Lack of Standing, Class Action Countermeasures, August 5, 2022
- Author, Seventh Circuit Vacates 25% Attorneys’ Fee Award, Class Action Countermeasures, June 9, 2022
- Author, First Circuit Upholds Sanctions Related to Attorney’s Fees, Class Action Countermeasures, February 16, 2022
- Author, No-Injury Class Actions: U.S. Supreme Court Issues Final Ruling (Part II), Class Action Countermeasures, June 28, 2021
- Author, "Virginia", The Law of Class Action: Fifty-State Survey 2021, ABA Book Publishing, June 2, 2021
- Author, Will No-Injury Class Actions Have Any Leg to Stand on? U.S. Supreme Court Hears Argument in TransUnion v. Ramirez, Class Action Countermeasures, March 31, 2021
- Author, What Creditors Need to Know About the Final Debt Collection Rule, Consumer FinSights, November 11, 2020
- Author, In the Wake of the CARES Act, States Focus on Consumer Credit Protection, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, April 10, 2020
- Author, CFPB Adopts “Flexible Approach” to FCRA Enforcement in COVID Era — Will Courts Do the Same?, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, April 3, 2020
- Author, 9th Circuit Saves Nationwide Settlement Classes, Class Action Countermeasures, June 7, 2019
- Author, California Court of Appeals Joins FCRA’s Mad Tea Party, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, April 24, 2019
- Author, Hyper-Technical Interpretation: 9th Circuit Increases FCRA Reach, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, February 1, 2019
- Author, 7th Circuit Allies With FCRA Class Action Plaintiffs on Spokeo Grounds, Class Action Countermeasures, September 26, 2018
- Author, NJ Supreme Court: Plaintiffs Must Prove Harm to Move Forward With TCCWNA Claim, Class Action Countermeasures, May 2, 2018
- Author, The U.S. Department of Justice is Ramping Up its Enforcement of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, Subject to Inquiry, December 7, 2016
- Author, Proposed Amendments to Fair Credit Reporting Act, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, February 19, 2016
- Author, Delaware Court of Chancery Reaffirms the Right of Corporations to Enact Forum Selection Clauses in Shareholder Suits, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, September 12, 2014
- Author, Supreme Court Decides Bona Fide Error Defense Not Applicable to FDCPA, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, April 21, 2010
- Author, "Current Credit Risks: Litigation Risks," Counsel to Counsel, November/December 2009