State Attorneys General

Cooley lawyers bring decades of experience managing complex investigations and enforcement actions before every state attorney general in the US. We advise clients at all stages of the investigative process – from the receipt of a consumer complaint through state agency oversight, formal investigations and litigation. Each state’s process and laws are unique, and we pride ourselves on understanding the nuances and priorities driving each investigation we handle. Our team combines unmatched state procedural experience with deep subject-matter knowledge to strategically analyze and defend issues while minimizing disruption and business risks for our clients.

Representative experience

  • Global social media company: Managed nationwide, parallel consumer protection-related investigations by nearly all 50 state attorneys general into privacy and online safety
  • Public telecommunications company: Represented in a multistate investigation by 30+ state attorneys general into cybersecurity and privacy practices
  • Digital insurance provider: Assisted in responding to multiple state attorneys general and other agency investigations following a cyberattack designed to access driver’s license numbers without authorization
  • Instant messaging platform: Assisted with a Massachusetts attorney general investigation into privacy and platform abuse
  • Fast-food restaurant chain: Represented in connection with a California attorney general investigation of privacy practices
  • Global marketplace company: Assisted in a California attorney general investigation into the company’s mobile application and its compliance with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)
  • Online game platform: Managed multiple state investigations, including by the New Mexico and New Hampshire attorneys general, concerning allegations related to child safety and exploitation on the company’s platform
  • Multiple mortgage servicers: Handled investigations with the Massachusetts attorney general’s office, resolving allegations of violations of Massachusetts’ unfair or deceptive acts or practices (UDAP), lending and debt collection laws
  • Financial services company: Resolved allegations of deceptive advertising practices by the Maryland attorney general’s office
  • Private equity firm and portfolio company: Managed separate investigations by Massachusetts and New York concerning alleged consumer protection violations and claims of substantial assistance, successfully excluding the firm from action and resolving the additional claims without litigation or penalties
  • Fintech alternative lenders: Represented leading alternative lending companies in matters before Washington, Maryland and North Carolina, resolving each without public action
  • Leading small-dollar lender: Resolved without action a fair lending investigation conducted by North Carolina’s Department of Justice
  • Nationwide nonbank lender: Favorably resolved multiple investigations by the Washington Department of Financial Services and litigation with the Washington state attorney general regarding the client’s lending practices
  • Publicly traded financial services company: Represented in investigations by the Illinois and New Jersey attorneys general, as well as related investigations by the New York Department of Financial Services and coordinated multistate examinations
  • Major US bank client: Represented in an investigation by the California attorney general under the California False Claims Act and other potential fraud theories related to the client’s investment strategies
  • Investment advisory firm and asset manager: Managed joint investigations by the New York Attorney General’s Investor Protection and Consumer Protection bureaus concerning investor disclosures, investment strategy and compliance with New York consumer protection laws
  • Major airline: Defended a major US airline in a litigated merger challenge brought by several state attorneys general and the US Department of Justice (DOJ)
  • Home renovation company: Defended in litigation by the DC attorney general alleging unfair practices and resolved via settlement without admissions of guilt
  • Mobile communications company: Advised the client on strategic efforts to secure approval from state attorneys general for a merger, including devising responses to antitrust lawsuits filed by attorneys general to block the merger
  • Fortune 500 healthcare organization: Assisted in responding to civil investigative demands issued by the Washington state attorney general’s office related to provider directories