Mr. Blankenstein advises clients on legal issues related to consumer financial products and services, securities regulation, and complex financial transactions.

In addition to his legal experience, Mr. Blankenstein served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Ginnie Mae, Acting Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the official responsible for overseeing all supervision and enforcement activity at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He also worked in the Office of the United States Trade Representative, where he represented the United States in disputes before the World Trade Organization.

Prior to his government service, he was an attorney in private practice, working mostly on complex civil litigation and regulatory investigations, much of which related to fallout from the 2008 financial crisis.

Mr. Blankenstein received his J.D. from the University of Virginia, where he also earned an M.A. in history, focusing on legal and constitutional history, and a B.S. in commerce. While in law school, he was a member of Order of the Coif, and he was the Executive Editor of the Virginia Law and Business Review.

Even though he is an attorney, Mr. Blankenstein’s work for Patomak is not in his capacity as an attorney. No attorney-client relationship is created when Mr. Blankenstein works on a Patomak project.