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Areas of Practice
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Professional Background
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Professional/Civic Activities
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Court Admissions
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Bar Admissions
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Education
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Additional Information
Areas of Practice
Mr. Allensworth focuses on complex civil litigation and started K&L Gates' Mortgage Banking and Consumer Financial Services Class Action Litigation practice in the firm's Boston, Massachusetts office. He has served as lead counsel in litigation matters pending in federal and state courts in 31 of the 50 states and in Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands, including as lead counsel in more than 150 class actions.
Mr. Allensworth's practice focuses substantially on the defense of federal and state class action litigation brought against banking, mortgage lending and consumer financial services institutions. These class actions, brought throughout the country, have concerned challenges under federal statutes including the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, the Truth in Lending Act (including the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act and the Consumer Leasing Act), the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act; under state statutes (including state unfair and deceptive acts and practices statutes, state motor vehicle sales finance acts and state statutory analogs to various federal consumer protection statutes) and common law claims. He also has represented consumer financial services institutions in government enforcement proceedings and individual litigation matters.
Mr. Allensworth also defends mobile wireless companies in class action and government enforcement litigation in various federal and state courts around the country. These actions concern issues arising under the federal Communications Act and state unfair and deceptive acts and practices statutes, including actions involving state tax billing disputes, contract disputes and alleged violations of the number porting requirements of the Federal Communications Commission.
In addition, Mr. Allensworth has litigated a wide variety of federal and state securities law matters, complex commercial disputes, and corporate insurance coverage matters. He has tried jury and jury-waived cases in state and federal trial courts and has appeared and argued in various state and federal appellate courts. Mr. Allensworth has tried matters in arbitration and represented clients in alternative dispute resolution forums. He has represented clients before federal and state securities agencies and the NASD.
Professional Background
Before entering private practice, Mr. Allensworth served as law clerk to the Honorable Walter J. Skinner on the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Professional/Civic Activities
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American Bar Association (Litigation Section, Class Actions Committee; Business Law Section, Consumer Financial Services Committee)
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Boston Bar Association
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Mortgage Bankers Association
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Former Town Meeting Member, Wellesley, MA
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Various pro bono representations
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Officer, United States Army, active duty
Court Admissions
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Supreme Judicial Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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Supreme Court of the United States
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United States Courts of Appeals (First, Second, Third, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth & Eleventh Circuits)
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United States District Courts for Massachusetts, Northern District of Illinois, and Eastern District of Wisconsin
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Admitted pro hac vice in various federal district courts and various state trial and appellate courts around the country
Bar Admissions
Education
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J.D.,
Yale Law School
(1978)
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B.A.,
University of Texas
(1969)
(Mathematics)
Additional Information
Publications
- The Seventh Circuit Breathes New Life Into "Firm Offers of Credit;" The First Circuit Tells Consumers to "Opt Out" and Stop Complaining, Mortgage banking and Consumer Credit Alert, R. Bruce Allensworth, Irene C. Freidel, Brian M. Forbes, Gregory N. Blase, April 28, 2008.
- Looking Back to the Future: "Presumptively Unfair" Mortgage Loans in the Case of Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Fremont Investment & Loan, et al., Mortgage Banking & Consumer Credit Alert, R. Bruce Allensworth, Irene C. Freidel, Brian M. Forbes, Ryan M. Tosi, March 6, 2008.
- Developments in "Firm Offer" Litigation Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, The Review of Banking & Financial Services, R. Bruce Allensworth, Irene C. Freidel, Brian M. Forbes, Gregory N. Blase, February 2008.
- Consumers Clog Courts with Codified Care Claims, Mortgage Banking & Consumer Credit Alert, Laurence E. Platt, R. Bruce Allensworth, Phoebe Gallagher Winder, Andrew C. Glass, David D. Christensen, January 30, 2008.
- Limiting Class Action Liability for Businesses, e-Finance & Payments Law & Policy, R.B. Allensworth, Andrew C. Glass, Ryan M. Tosi and David D. Christensen, July 2007.
- Recent Federal Court Decision Bolsters Growing Line of Cases Dismissing Class Action Claims for Alleged "Identity Theft," Class Action Alert, R.B. Allensworth, Andrew C. Glass, Ryan M. Tosi and David D. Christensen, July 26, 2007.
- Class or No Class? Loan Rescission Under TILA and Class Actions: The Debate Continues, Mortgage Banking & Consumer Credit Alert, R. Bruce Allensworth, Brian M. Forbes, Irene C. Freidel, Steven M. Kaplan, Jonathan D. Jaffe, February 2007.
- Big Dollar Liability Under FCRA Clarified: Supreme Court Hears Argument Regarding The Standard for Awarding Statutory and Punitive Damages, Mortgage Banking & Consumer Credit Alert, R. Bruce Allensworth, Irene C. Freidel, Steven M. Kaplan, Leanne E. Hartmann, February 2007.
- Decisions of Federal Courts Create Uncertainty Concerning Use of Prescreened Offers of Credit: An Update on FCRA Prescreened Offer of Credit Class Action Litigation, Mortgage Banking & Consumer Credit Alert, R. Bruce Allensworth, Steven M. Kaplan, Irene C. Freidel, Brian M. Forbes, Joshua C. Rowland, April 2006.
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