People

Ronald Williams Senior Associate

Washington, D.C.

In his government enforcement practice, Ron routinely defends a broad range of clients in the financial services industry before federal and state regulators, including matters initiated by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Federal Reserve Board, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and state regulators. Ron has experience responding to Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs), managing large-scale discovery, and advising clients on regulatory risks. 

In his litigation practice, Ron represents businesses in class actions and complex commercial disputes in federal and state courts. Ron effectively drafts briefs and discovery requests, prepares witnesses for depositions, manages discovery, and conducts complex legal research on a range of issues. 

Ron maintains an active pro bono practice, with a particular focus on criminal justice reform. He has helped draft legislation to severely limit the use of solitary confinement in District of Columbia correctional facilities, drafted an amicus curiae brief on behalf of an individual charged with homicide seeking to exclude expert testimony, and reviewed innocence claims for an incarcerated individual. 

A fervent advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at Orrick and in the legal profession, Ron serves on Orrick's DEI committee in D.C. 

Prior to joining Orrick, Ron was an associate at Buckley LLP and Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP. He also clerked for the Honorable Peter G. Sheridan of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

John (Jay) Williams Partner

Washington, D.C.

Jay has represented clients before the Department of Justice (DOJ), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) and other state regulators, including state attorneys general. He is focused on the compliance issues surrounding government-insured mortgages and other credit products and works with his clients to conduct compliance and consumer protection reviews to mitigate risk.

Jay has extensive experience assisting clients in matters involving complex electronic discovery issues, such as large-scale document collection, developing effective document retention policies and using cutting-edge technology (including artificial intelligence) to reduce review and production costs.

Active in pro bono work, Jay has represented clients before the U.S. Parole Commission and handled multiple matters with the Washington Lawyers’ Committee. He is a current board member of the Interfaith Action for Human Rights, was a founding board member of the Greater D.C. Diaper Bank, and coaches Capitol Hill Little League baseball teams.

Prior to joining Orrick, Jay was a partner at Buckley LLP. He also was a litigation associate at Venable LLP, where he represented clients in complex commercial litigation and arbitration. During law school, he served as a clerk in the Office of the Public Defender in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Manley Williams Partner

Washington, D.C.

Manley has extensive experience working with clients to develop credit programs, simplify credit agreements, adapt procedures for online and mobile environments, and implement, improve and amend customer rewards programs. She also helps companies sell their products over time, whether traditional banks with credit cards, online lenders with installment loans, startups with charge cards or merchants with installment plans. She helps companies navigate the federal and state law governing credit, licensing, prohibitions on unfair, deceptive or abusive acts or practices (UDAAP) and limitations on lending to the military and compliance with antidiscrimination laws.

She helps institutions evaluate fair lending issues in judgmental underwriting, advises financial institutions where to locate their card issuing banks to benefit from state laws on the exportation of interest rates and assists merchants and emerging companies with implementing their credit programs. Manley assists lenders in revising and refining key operational processes, disclosures and customer agreements necessitated by changing legal standards. She also conducts training for in-house counsel on legal developments in the credit card industry, including compliance with emerging UDAAP standards.

Prior to joining Orrick, Manley was a partner at Buckley LLP. She was also counsel with Wilmer Cutler Pickering, Hale and Dorr LLP, and a staff attorney at the Federal Reserve Board’s (FRB) Legal Division and Division of Consumer and Community Affairs, where she advised financial institutions on compliance with regulations including Regulations Z (Truth in Lending Act (TILA)), B (Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA)), E (Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA)), and CC (Availability of Funds and Collection of Checks).

Manley organizes and hosts card roundtables at which industry leaders discuss emerging issues in a congenial environment. She has a particular interest in financial literacy and is a frequent presenter at public schools in the greater Washington, D.C., area, instructing students and teachers in understanding and using credit and debit cards, mobile phone plans and other common consumer credit vehicles.

Christopher Witeck Partner

Washington, D.C.

Chris has an active practice representing financial services entities in negotiating a wide variety of corporate transactions, including company M&A, asset purchases and critical vendor and other third-party relationships. His clients include banks, mortgage companies and servicers, marketplace and other lenders, fintech and emerging payments providers and other business entities in the financial services industry.

Chris’ M&A work emphasizes transactions that involve regulatory risks and concerns or novel structures at the forefront of industry trends. He also represents buyers and sellers of mortgage loans and other consumer lending assets, including interests such as mortgage servicing rights. He regularly negotiates many varieties of servicing and subservicing contracts.

He also advises clients on outsourcing, joint venture and bank partner agreements, particularly in the fintech and e-commerce arena, providing years of experience addressing “true lender” issues. He also advises clients on loan repurchase and indemnity matters as well as corporate governance and compliance matters.

His regulatory practice focuses on advising lenders and servicers on matters involving the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), including affiliated business arrangements, portfolio retention transactions and vendor management issues.

Chris is recognized by Chambers USA for Fintech: Payments & Lending, which cited his capabilities “advising on regulatory compliance, commercial contracts matters and transactional work, with notable expertise handling M&A in the financial services sector.”

He was previously Co-Managing Partner and a member of the partner board at Buckley LLP. Before attending law school, he worked at the U.S. Department of State.

Walter Zalenski Partner

Washington, D.C.; New York

Walt provides counseling on financial services mergers and acquisitions, focusing on assisting private equity sponsors and strategic buyers in investments in bank and nonbank financial services firms, providing regulatory and transactional advice to identify and mitigate risk, and assisting buyers in obtaining regulatory approvals where necessary.

His work also includes a wide range of counseling and acting on behalf of clients in enforcement matters, including those involving the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the prudential bank regulators, as well as state attorneys general and other state authorities.

For 14 years in a row, Walt has been ranked nationally for his work in the area of Financial Services Regulation by Chambers USA. Clients noted that "He's extremely talented and has lots of wisdom," that he is "an outstanding lawyer" and “the guy who had all the history of why and when the regulations were put in place – his knowledge is amazing," with "expertise (that) spans a range of areas, including credit cards, auto finance, and mortgage lending." He also has been named a "Leading Lawyer" by the IFLR1000 for Financial Services Regulatory in the U.S., recognized by Best Lawyers for Financial Services Regulation Law, is a Fellow of the American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers. He also serves as Professorial Lecturer in Law at George Washington University.

Prior to joining Orrick, Walt was a partner at Buckley LLP in the firm’s Washington, D.C., and New York offices.

Sheila Zerang Associate

Santa Monica