STEVEN LEZELL WOODROW

has over a decade of experience advising consumers and small businesses in high stakes litigation.

Steven briefed and delivered the winning argument in the landmark federal appellate court decision Wigod v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., 673 F.3d 547 (7th Cir. 2012) holding banks accountable for violations of the federal Home Affordable Modification Program. The opinion is widely regarded as the leading authority on the rights and obligations of HAMP servicers and borrowers. Steven also delivered the winning oral argument in Robins v. Spokeo, 742 F.3d 409 (9th Cir. 2014), a federal appeal upholding consumer rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act against one of the nation’s largest online data aggregators.

Mr. Woodrow was appointed lead class counsel in litigation against JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. challenging the bank’s 4506-T HELOC suspension program and was appointed settlement class counsel in other HELOC litigation against Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Citibank, N.A., Chase, Bank of America, N.A. and PNC Bank.

Mr. Woodrow also led the legal team that secured a preliminary injunction freezing the U.S. assets of Mark Karpeles, the former head of the failed Bitcoin exchange known as Mt. Gox, as well as an order compelling Mr. Karpeles to personally appear in the United States for a deposition in connection with Mt. Gox’s Chapter 15 bankruptcy case in Dallas Texas.

Steven has also litigated putative class actions under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, and courts have appointed him to serve as class counsel in nationwide settlements against cellphone companies, aggregators, and mobile content providers related to unfair billing practices, including Paluzzi v. Cellco Partnership, Williams v. Motricity, Inc., and Walker v. OpenMarket Inc.

Steven has also served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago-Kent College of Law, where he co-taught a seminar on class actions. Prior to founding Woodrow & Peluso, Steven was a partner at prominent class action technology firm in Chicago.

Before that, he worked as a litigator at a Chicago boutique where he tried and arbitrated a range of consumer protection, landlord tenant, and real estate matters.

EDUCATION

Chicago-Kent College of Law, J.D., High Honors 2005

The University of Michigan—Ann Arbor, B.A.

ADMISSIONS

State of Colorado (2011)

State of Illinois (2005)

United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

United States District Court, District of Colorado

United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois

United States District Court, Eastern District of Michigan

United States District Court, Western District of Michigan