Troutman Pepper Locke State Attorneys General Team

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Our State AG practice — recognized with a Chambers USA Band 1 ranking, the highest recognition available — handles investigations across all 50 states, combining strong legal skills with firsthand experience developed from resolving hundreds of matters with AGs to bring order to the chaos. Our team is made up of more than 50 attorneys, including two former U.S. district attorneys, two former state solicitors general, three former deputy attorneys general, a former deputy solicitor general, former assistant deputy attorney general, and seven former assistant attorneys general, as well as attorneys with a variety of other governmental backgrounds and decades of experience representing clients in multiple industry sectors in state AG enforcement actions and litigation.

Troutman Pepper Locke State Attorneys General Team

Ashley Taylor – Co-leader and Firm Vice Chair
Ashley is co-leader of the firm's nationally ranked State Attorneys General practice, vice chair of the firm, and a partner in its Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement (RISE) Practice Group. He helps his clients navigate the complexities involved with multistate attorneys general investigations and enforcement actions, federal agency actions, and accompanying litigation.
Clay Friedman – Co-leader
Clay co-leads the firm's State Attorneys General practice and is nationally ranked by Chambers USA for AG Government Relations and in Best Lawyers for Advertising Law. He has dedicated his entire career to state attorney general and federal work, serving for nearly a decade in a senior role and more than 25+ years in private practice. Clay focuses his practice on helping industry-leading companies mitigate the risks associated with state and federal regulatory investigations and associated litigation.
Chris Carlson
Chris advises clients on regulatory, civil, and criminal investigations and litigation. With a background as an assistant attorney general, he provides practical guidance to clients with matters involving state attorneys general and federal regulatory agencies.
Lauren Fincher
Lauren has vast experience handling state attorneys general investigations, navigating complex regulatory compliance matters, and providing strategic counsel in enforcement actions across various industries. She helps clients manage high-stakes regulatory matters and guides them through complex legal landscapes.
Stephen Piepgrass
Stephen leads the firm's Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement (RISE) Practice Group, representing clients in single and multistate enforcement actions, including inquiries and investigations involving state attorneys general and other state and federal governmental enforcement bodies including the CFPB and FTC. He regularly represents clients in highly regulated sectors such as financial services, emerging technologies, health care, insurance, and education.
Michael Yaghi
Mike handles high-profile investigations led by state attorneys general, the FTC, and other federal and state regulatory bodies. He assists clients through these complex government inquiries, assisting them throughout the entire life cycle of investigations, from regulatory enforcement through formal litigation.
Matthew J. Berns
Drawing on his experience in senior leadership roles in the New Jersey Attorney General's and Governor's Offices and as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, Matt provides an insider's perspective when guiding clients through complex government investigations, litigation, and other actions.
Jeff Johnson
Jeff helps clients navigate complex regulatory and litigation challenges with local, state, and federal authorities. His clients benefit from his decade of broad litigation experience, understanding of emerging state and federal regulatory issues, and strong relationships with attorneys general across the U.S. In addition to handling cases from trial through state or federal appeals, Jeff serves as amicus counsel in advancing legal rules to support his clients' vital interests.
Jay Myers
Jay assists clients in heavily regulated industries, including health care, energy, insurance, emerging industries, and data privacy. He provides both regulatory legal advice and government relations strategies. Jay's past and current clients include Fortune 10 companies, startups, nonprofits, industry associations, and advocacy groups. Recognizing that state government matters are often complex and multifaceted, he utilizes regulatory guidance, government advocacy, or both in tandem to deliver tailored solutions for each client's unique needs.
Zoe Schloss

Zoe represents clients in litigation and government investigations. As former deputy attorney general for the Delaware Department of Justice, she is an experienced litigator who understands the enforcement priorities that impact her clients. Zoe works with individuals and corporate entities in highly regulated industries, including financial services, health care, and energy.
Jessica Birdsong
 Jessica is an associate in the firm's Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement Practice Group. She received her J.D. from the University of Richmond School of Law, magna cum laude, where she served as associate articles editor of the Journal of Law & Technology.
Sydney Goldberg
Sydney is an associate in the firm's Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement (RISE) Practice Group. She advises clients on regulatory compliance and state attorney general (AG) investigations in highly regulated industries, including health care and life sciences. She routinely helps clients navigate alcohol compliance and licensing issues, helping proactively manage regulatory risk.
Troy Homesley
Troy is an accomplished litigator who has represented and defended clients across a wide range of complex, high-stakes disputes at both the trial and appellate levels. He has represented technology companies, business executives, law firms, investment funds, high-ranking federal officials, international non-profits, and asylum seekers. Troy draws on his broad litigation experience to advise clients before litigation arises, while claims are pending or threatened, and leading up to and through trial and appeals.
Namrata Kang
Namrata (Nam) is an associate in the firm's Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement (RISE) Practice Group, based in the Washington, D.C. office. She routinely advises clients on a wide variety of state and federal regulatory matters, with a particular emphasis on state consumer protection laws relating to consumer financial services and marketing and advertising. Nam's experience transcends multiple industries, including financial services, telecommunications, media, and sports betting.
Michael Lafleur
Michael is an associate in the firm's Regulatory Investigations, Strategy, and Enforcement Practice Group. Based out of the firm's Boston office, Mike has deep experience in litigation, investigations, and other regulatory matters involving state-level regulators and state attorneys general.
William LaRosa
Bill represents clients in complex regulatory investigations, state attorneys general matters, and enforcement proceedings. He draws on his experience as a former assistant U.S. attorney and as a private-sector litigator advising corporations in high-stakes litigation and regulatory investigations, including multistate AG investigations.
Lane Page
Lane represents financial institutions and other clients in federal and state regulatory investigations and complex civil litigation. He is particularly focused on consumer protection and fair lending issues.
Dascher Pasco
Dascher provides strategic counsel and representation to clients navigating regulatory compliance, enforcement, and high-stakes litigation. She regularly represents clients in both single and multistate state attorney general (AG) investigations and enforcement actions, as well as before other state enforcement bodies and local government agencies.
Kyara Rivera Rivera
Kyara is an associate in the firm's Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement Practice Group. She received her J.D. from the University of Richmond School of Law, cum laude, where she served as publications and online editor of the Public Interest Law Review.
Timothy Shyu
Timothy advises clients on regulatory compliance and enforcement in highly regulated industries, including health care and life sciences, data privacy and cybersecurity, and emerging technology. He assists companies in navigating complex investigations and enforcement actions, helping them mitigate regulatory risk proactively.
Trey Smith
Trey focuses his practice on representing and advising regulated utilities before state public utility commissions. He routinely helps clients obtain certificates of public convenience and necessity for transmission infrastructure. In this role, Trey works with his clients' subject-matter experts to manage administrative proceedings, including by preparing initial filings; responding to discovery requests; drafting rebuttal testimony; and litigating any disputed issues.
Daniel Waltz
Dan helps clients navigate all aspects highly regulated relationships between industry participants and federal, state and local governments. Whether engaging with regulators, negotiating transactions or representing clients in the courtroom, he delivers solutions that help his clients achieve their strategic goals.
Stephanie Kozol
Stephanie is Troutman Pepper Locke's senior government relations manager in the state attorneys general department.
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Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced a settlement on September 28, 2026, with Mavis Tire Supply to resolve allegations that the company engaged in deceptive sales and repair practices. Under the settlement, filed in the form of an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance (AVC), Mavis agrees to pay $215,000 — $190,000 for consumer restitution and $25,000 for investigative costs. The agreement also provides for a suspended $100,000 civil penalty that could become due if Mavis is found to have violated the agreement. Mavis agreed to the settlement without admitting liability or any wrongdoing.

On September 23, 2026, a bipartisan coalition of 26 attorneys general (AGs) led by New York AG Letitia James wrote to congressional leadership urging Congress to establish comprehensive federal regulation and safety protocols for frontier artificial intelligence (AI). The letter identifies six elements the signatories say belong in any federal regulatory scheme, including an explicit prohibition on preemption of state AI laws.

On September 9, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) circulated a draft order that would narrow how consumer revocations of consent apply under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). If adopted, callers could treat certain opt-out requests as limited to the category of automated calls or texts at issue, rather than as revocation of all prior consent. The draft order, listed as “TCPA Modernization,” is scheduled for a vote at the FCC’s September 30 open meeting.

On September 8, 2026, a bipartisan coalition of 49 state and territorial attorneys general filed reply comments with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), urging the agency to make its “Know Your Upstream Provider” (KYUP) requirements mandatory for voice service providers. The coalition is led by North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson, who also chairs the Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force. The filing follows the coalition’s July 27 letter to the FCC seeking stronger vetting obligations for originating voice service providers and extends that position to providers that accept and route traffic further down the call path.

On September 14, 2026, Massachusetts Attorney General (AG) Andrea Campbell announced a settlement with several debt buying and debt collection companies and their owner, resolving a lawsuit that accused them of seizing consumers’ cars to coerce payments on unrelated debts. The defendants are now permanently barred from buying or collecting on debts in the state, leaving them unable to recover approximately $52 million in alleged loans to more than 6,000 Massachusetts consumers.

On August 31, 2026, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), joined by the attorneys general (AGs) of 22 states, filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington alleging that Amazon.com, Inc. overcharged its approximately 1.2 million advertising customers by manipulating the auctions it uses to set ad prices on its platform. The complaint alleges that, for more than seven years, Amazon covertly inflated advertising prices and that the alleged practice likely extracted more than $20 billion from its advertising customers. Amazon has not responded to the complaint yet, and the allegations have not been proven in court.

On September 1, 2026, the New Jersey attorney general and Division of Consumer Affairs announced that Match Group, Inc. (MGI), the Texas-based operator of several major online dating platforms, will pay $650,000 and implement changes to its business practices to settle allegations that it violated New Jersey’s consumer protection and internet dating safety laws. The resulting consent order resolves an investigation into MGI’s disclosures related to criminal background screening, or lack thereof, to its New Jersey users. While the settlement’s implications are greatest for online dating services and the vendors they use to vet their users, all companies that make public representations about their criminal background screening and identity verification procedures should take heed.

On August 14, 2026, Corteva, Inc. agreed to pay $3.1 million to settle an antitrust lawsuit brought by the Arkansas attorney general (AG) alleging that the pesticide maker’s rebate and loyalty programs functioned as de facto exclusive dealing arrangements that suppressed competition from generic pesticide manufacturers.

In July 2026, OpenAI released an experimental AI cybersecurity model for internal testing. The model allegedly gained unauthorized access to several computer networks, resulting in an attack on Hugging Face, a widely used open-source AI platform that offers computation tools for building applications for machine learning. OpenAI’s model was allegedly attempting to access a repository that included answers to tests that OpenAI previously asked the model to solve. OpenAI decommissioned the model and suspended related training activities, but the incident drew swift scrutiny from state regulators.