Seth Frotman

Seth Frotman is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Law and the Economy and a Lecturer in Law at Columbia Law School. He formerly served as General Counsel and Senior Advisor to the Director at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. As General Counsel, Frotman oversaw all aspects of the CFPB’s legal work, including litigation, administrative law, ethics, labor and employment, and Congressional oversight. Under his leadership, the CFPB successfully defended the constitutionality of the CFPB at the Supreme Court, resulting in a 7-2 decision in favor of the agency, and also achieved other difficult litigation victories, including in the Fifth and Seventh Circuits. As a member of the Bureau’s senior leadership team, Frotman also had a key role in steering the CFPB’s strong pro-consumer agenda, including combating junk fees and regulating the stampede of Big Tech into consumer finance.

Before returning to the CFPB in 2021, Frotman co-founded and served as the Executive Director of the Student Borrower Protection Center (SBPC), a leading nationwide consumer advocacy organization working to end America’s student debt crisis. Prior to co-founding SBPC, he spent seven years at the CFPB in a series of leadership positions, including overseeing the agency’s student loan portfolio as Assistant Director and Student Loan Ombudsman and serving as Senior Advisor to Holly Petraeus, Assistant Director for Servicemember Affairs. In recognition of his efforts to protect military families from predatory lending, Frotman received the Office of the Secretary of Defense Award for Excellence. He also previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Legislative Director for Congressman Patrick Murphy, where his accomplishments included the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell;” worked in the New Jersey State Senate on consumer protection legislation; and clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. 

Outside of the Center, Frotman also serves as a Senior Fellow at the Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice and as a Senior Fellow at Towards Justice, where he works to advance research and policy advocacy regarding consumer financial protection. He is a graduate of Indiana University Maurer School of Law and the University of Michigan.