Executive Change: CFPB Announces New General Counsel

Washington, D.C. – The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) yesterday announced that Mary McLeod will join the Bureau as General Counsel, upon the departure of current General Counsel and Acting Deputy Director Meredith Fuchs in early 2016.

“I am very pleased to welcome Mary to the Consumer Bureau, as she brings a wealth of experience and tested judgment to our leadership team,” said CFPB Director Richard Cordray. “Meredith has been an invaluable asset to the Bureau since before we opened our doors, and she will be missed. I am deeply grateful for her contributions to all of her colleagues here and to the American public we serve.”

Mary McLeod

Mary McLeod has headed the Office of the Legal Adviser of the U.S. Department of State since January 2013. As the senior career attorney in the Office of the Legal Adviser, she advised the Secretary and other senior officials on all aspects of the Department’s legal work.

Ms. McLeod first joined the Department of State in 1977. In prior service at the Department of State, she served as the Principal Deputy Legal Adviser, the Legal Adviser to the U.S. Mission at the United Nations, and Assistant Legal Adviser for a number of offices, including those responsible for political and military affairs, Eastern Asia and Pacific Affairs, human rights and refugees, and employment law. She has broad-ranging expertise and experience on international and domestic legal issues, including use of force, the U.N. Charter, international arbitration, federal court litigation, regulatory programs, administrative law, ethics, and appropriations law.

Ms. McLeod is a graduate of Yale University. She attended the University of Edinburgh as a Marshall Scholar, and then went on to New York University Law School, where she was a Root-Tilden Scholar.

Meredith Fuchs

Meredith Fuchs joined the Bureau in 2011 as Principal Deputy General Counsel before serving as the Bureau’s Chief of Staff, General Counsel, and acting as Deputy Director. During her five years at the Bureau, Ms. Fuchs worked on matters across the full range of the Bureau’s governance and policy development. Prior to joining the CFPB, Ms. Fuchs served as Chief Investigative Counsel of the United States House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce and held positions in the non-profit and private sectors. Ms. Fuchs served as a law clerk for Judge Patricia M. Wald on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and Judge Paul L. Friedman on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. She is a graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science and New York University Law School.

The CFPB will announce next steps on the Deputy Director position in the coming weeks.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is a 21st century agency that helps consumer finance markets work by making rules more effective, by consistently and fairly enforcing those rules, and by empowering consumers to take more control over their economic lives. For more information, visit consumerfinance.gov.