Moorari Shah Bio

Moorari Shah, a financial services partner based in the Orange County and San Francisco offices, specializes in fintech representations and is Leader of the firm’s Consumer Finance Team and a member of the Chambers-ranked Blockchain and Fintech Team. Moorari is a highly respected and trusted adviser known for his strategic thinking. He combines deep in-house and law firm experience to deliver practical, business-minded legal advice. He represents banks, fintechs, mortgage companies, payment processors, auto lenders, and other nonbank institutions in transactional, licensing, regulatory compliance, and government enforcement matters covering mergers and acquisitions, consumer and commercial lending, equipment finance and leasing, and supervisory examinations, investigations, and enforcement actions involving state and federal agencies. Moorari has an active regulatory practice, representing nonbanks and financial institutions in matters before governmental agencies, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Federal Reserve Board (FRB), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), and state attorneys general as well as other state regulators such as the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI), and state banking departments. Clients rely on Moorari’s prudent and pragmatic approach to compliance with state and federal consumer protection laws and regulations. His expansive knowledge of state licensing requirements and product structuring options aids companies in carefully crafting compliant solutions, taking into account reputational, operational, and enforcement risks. He is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US), and his advisory work for clients includes implementation of programs, policies, and procedures for purposes of complying with state and federal laws such as the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and the New York Cybersecurity Regulations. Moorari is also nationally recognized by Legal 500 for his M&A/Corporate and Commercial expertise and has significant experience negotiating asset- and stock purchases, bank partnership arrangements for fintech platforms, start-up company financings through IPO, payment processing and acquiring transactions, loan purchase and servicing agreements, and complex on-shore and off-shore information technology and business process outsourcing transactions. He also has experience in real estate, asset-based, and unsecured financings, as well as enforcing rights and remedies against corporate debtors in non-bankruptcy workout negotiations. His comprehensive approach emphasizes navigation of contractual, operational, and regulatory hurdles to achieve real-world business outcomes. Moorari regularly counsels companies on California-specific financing topics, including new legislation impacting consumer and commercial lenders and lessors. He is the Chair of the Legislative and Regulatory Subcommittee of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), whose membership includes more than 500 manufacturers, banks, and captive and independent leasing and finance companies. Moorari started his career as a prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, spent several years in private practice and then worked in-house at Toyota Motor Credit Corporation for nine years, handling a range of commercial transactional and regulatory matters, before rejoining private practice in 2013. He is an active member of the South Asian Bar and National Asian Pacific American Bar Associations and a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.