JOEL FEINBERG is a co-leader of Sidley’s Banking and Financial Services practice, head of the firm’s Financial Institutions group in Washington, D.C., and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. Joel advises operating companies and investors in the financial services and fintech space in regulatory counseling, public policy, licensing, M&A and transactional matters. Joel represents banks and their holding companies, investment funds, payment networks, platform companies, money transmitters, prepaid program managers, payment processors, e-commerce firms and others in the fintech space. Joel works extensively on payments-related matters, including as relates to blockchain/crypto, funds transmission products, mobile payment products and debit and prepaid products. In the counseling aspect of Joel’s practice, he works closely with clients on their most important compliance issues, including in the areas of anti-money laundering and economic sanctions.
Joel is ranked Band 1 in the 2024 Chambers FinTech guide in the USA Legal: Payments & Lending category, where he has been described by clients for his work around regulatory compliance, licensing and transactional matters in payments as “exactly what I look for in an external counsel. He is knowledgeable about the law and our internal requirements, exceedingly accessible and responsive, and creative.” In the 2024 edition of Chambers USA, clients described Joel as “a trusted advisor [who] understands our business and provides guidance that is comprehensive and practical.” The 2023 edition of Chambers USA recognized Joel for “his high-quality regulatory practice, which sees him counseling credit card providers and other lenders on significant compliance issues such as payments law, sanctions and AML.”
Awards
- Ranked in Chambers FinTech, USA FinTech Legal: Payments & Lending (2018–2025) (Band 1)
- Ranked in Chambers USA, Financial Services Regulation: Consumer Finance (Compliance), Nationwide (2021–2024)
- Recommended for financial services regulation, The Legal 500 (2016–2017)
- Named in the Banking category, Who’s Who Legal (2015)
- “Rising Star” for Financial Services Regulatory in the United States, IFLR1000 (2014–2021)
- 2019 Chambers USA Award for “Financial Services Regulation Law Firm of the Year”
- Recipient of “ILO Client Choice Award” in the area of Banking (U.S.) (2012)