#140: Mike G. Silver - Consumer Finance Lawyer, Ex-CFPB Lawyer

Welcome back to another episode of the How I Lawyer Podcast, where Professor Jonah Perlin interviews lawyers about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it well.

Today's guest is Mike G. Silver, a Partner at Husch Blackwell's DC office specializing in consumer financial services law. Before joining Husch Blackwell, Mike spent 12 years at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and 7 years as an associate at Pillsbury. Mike earned his degrees from the University of Pennsylvania (where he served as student body president) and George Washington University Law School (where he was active on Law Review and Moot Court Board). Prior to law school, Mike worked as a legislative assistant at the Religious Action Center.

At this moment, the CFPB's future is very much in question but Mike's story remains an important one about how government works and where his industry may go in the future.

In this episode, Mike shares other valuable insights about the legal profession including:

🎓💼 How his path to law wasn't predetermined, but emerged from his interests in history, government, and politics [3:18]

📚⚖️ How being active in various law school activities and internships enhanced his legal education experience [5:01]

🏢💫 How his initial real estate practice at Pillsbury evolved unexpectedly from litigation aspirations [11:18]

🏛️🔄 How joining the newly-created CFPB in 2011 allowed him to help build regulatory frameworks from the ground up [17:51]

👥📊 How being a civil servant requires adapting to changing administrations while maintaining institutional expertise [33:46]

💼🎯 How transitioning to private practice requires developing marketing skills and building a business plan [40:25]

📋💡 How consumer financial services law involves navigating complex regulations governing personal financial transactions [46:08]

🔄🌟 How career pivots require recognizing transferable skills and maintaining a growth mindset [50:26]

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys.