Firm Overview and History

The practice groups forming our Firm have been together since 1997 and grown through the leadership of David Israel.  Dave guided the Firm from its geographic footprint of just one New Orleans office to include offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, metro-Detroit, Flemington (NJ), Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia, San Diego, and Tampa.

Most often known as The Sessions Firm, our attorneys, practice areas, and levels of service are now led by Dave and Bryan Shartle, our co-managing partners.  Bryan started his legal career with Sessions as a second-year law clerk to become one of the premier consumer defense attorneys in the country.

The Sessions Firm provides the following legal services on a nationwide basis:

Consumer Defense

Compliance & Regulatory

Employment Law

Business & Transactions

Licensing

Securities Litigation

Bankruptcy Law

Commercial Litigation

Appellate Practice

The Consumer Defense Section is managed by Bryan Shartle and Dayle Van Hoose, along with guidance from our Senior Partner, David Israel.  This group of attorneys is the largest practice group in the country dedicated to representing debt collectors, creditors, debt buyers, loan servicers, and other financial institutions in consumer litigation.

Led by James Schultz and David Israel, the Compliance & Regulatory Section answers client compliance-related questions and responds to regulatory complaints, subpoenas, requests for information, investigations, and enforcement actions from federal and state regulators, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission, Attorneys General, and state and municipal licensing authorities.

Kevin Barreca and David Clouston manage the Employment Law Section, where we defend employers in labor disputes and litigation alleging violations of state or federal law.  These lawyers also provide critical legal advice and HR assistance to employers.

Michael Plunkett heads our Business & Transactions Section, where we assist clients with corporate work, contracts, and business transactions.

With a team of 16 paralegals and 3 attorneys, the Licensing Section is managed by David Israel and Lilian Wise.  This group provides advice regarding licensing requirements and assists clients in obtaining their required licensing for debt collection and/or student loan servicing.  We regularly advise clients for M&A transactions, which for debt collectors, debt buyers, and student loan servicers cannot be closed without proper licenses being obtained.

David Clouston oversees our Securities Litigation Section, where we handle claims involving broker-dealers, clearing firms, brokers, and customers in federal and state courts across the country and before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and the American Arbitration Association (AAA).

We are also very proud of our diversity as a Firm and our 25+ year commitment to our clients!