Kwamina Thomas Williford

Kwamina Thomas Williford is an experienced regulatory and business disputes attorney, who co-chairs the firm's Consumer Protection Defense and Compliance Team and serves as the practice group leader for the firm's Washington, D.C., Litigation Group. Ms. Williford helps companies navigate complex regulations and enforcement regimes related to consumer engagement and interaction, including marketing and advertising, fair lending, reporting and decisions being made based on consumer credit, receiving payments from consumers and the use of consumer information. She also advises companies on how to reduce their risk profile related to consumer protection concerns when looking to bring innovative products and technology to market.

Ms. Williford represents companies faced with Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs) and inquiries brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) as well as state attorney generals related to federal and state consumer protection laws. Her experience with relevant laws implicated include the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Federal Trade Commission Act (FTCA), Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) and the Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA).

Clients also call on Ms. Williford to conduct highly sensitive internal investigations related to alleged improper or concerning activities identified by employees or that are identified through the organization's compliance and ethics program.

Ms. Williford draws upon her experience to help clients decrease their risk profile by counseling companies on specific measures to enhance and refine their corporate compliance programs. Ms. Williford also works with clients to develop compliance training materials and conduct management training on compliance issues. She also served as the co-editor of the Corporate Compliance Answer Book book for 10 years, where she collaborated with dozens of attorneys across the firm knowledgeable in various aspects of compliance. Leveraging this experience has enabled Ms. Williford to work seamlessly with attorneys across subject matters to service clients and match their needs with Holland & Knight talent.

Currently, Ms. Williford chairs the Steering Committee for the firm's Diversity and Inclusion Engagement Initiative, designed to deepen partnerships with clients and businesses that share Holland & Knight's values of diversity and inclusion. Ms. Williford also serves on Holland & Knight's Innovation Committee, designed to further develop the firm's use of innovation and Artificial Intelligence to advance the practice with higher efficiency. She has also served on the firm's Directors Nominating Committee.

Within the community, Ms. Williford served as former chair of the National Bar Association's (NBA) Commercial Law Section, where she helped to organize its Annual Corporate Counsel Conference and select regional programming aimed at connecting diverse talent with organizations and companies. She also is a strong advocate of the National Bar Institute, which is the philanthropic arm of the NBA, with a mission of advancing minorities in the legal profession by promoting education, advocacy and action. She further serves on the Washington, D.C., regional board for Teach for America, which is committed to furthering education equity through supporting teachers and students in the District of Columbia region.