Karin Dryhurst is a first-chair litigator and strategic advisor to financial institutions and fintech companies navigating high-stakes litigation, government enforcement actions, and complex regulatory risk. Her practice sits at the intersection of class action defense, consumer protection litigation, and multi-agency government investigations and litigation. Co-Chair of Jenner & Block’s Fintech and Crypto Assets Practice, Karin brings distinctive insights and experiences into how enforcement agencies approach and coordinate complex matters.
A skilled commercial litigator, Karin has built a distinguished record defending banks, credit unions, mortgage and student loan servicers, payments platforms, and fintech companies in class actions, government-facing litigation, and consumer protection disputes. She has experience representing clients against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and multiple state attorneys general.
Karin’s class action practice is particularly notable. She has achieved repeated success striking class allegations at the motion-to-dismiss stage, including a precedent-setting decision before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Karin has deep experience defending fraud-based claims and anti-discrimination claims under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) and the Fair Housing Act (FHA). Her practice consistently involves matters with significant regulatory scrutiny, institutional risk, and public visibility — the kind of high-stakes, reputationally significant litigation where precision and strategic judgment are paramount.
She has handled high stakes matters for financial services clients from the initial inquiry or complaint all the way through trial. Karin has also prepared and defended multiple CEOs and other senior executives in testimony and interviews before the SEC, CFPB, and DOJ.
Karin is committed to pro bono and regularly works on criminal defense and civil rights matters.
Prior to joining Jenner & Block, Karin was a partner in the government and regulatory litigation group at an AmLaw 50 firm.
Representative Matters
- Defended a leading payments platform in litigation brought by a state consumer protection agency.*
- Obtained dismissal of multiple class actions filed against a national credit union related to alleged fraud on Zelle.*
- Defended through trial the former chief auditor of a large bank holding company in an OCC enforcement action.*
- Defended a large student loan servicer in one of the few actively litigated CFPB enforcement actions, from the motion to dismiss through discovery and dispositive motions.*
- Defended a large bank in a False Claims Act qui tam litigation.*
- Defended a technology company in consumer class actions bringing claims based on alleged gift card fraud.*
- Represented a large bank in mediation regarding alleged employment discrimination.*
- Represented a consumer goods company in criminal and civil False Claims Act investigations and litigation, resulting in a no-admission civil settlement with the DOJ, multiple US Attorneys’ Offices, the FTC, all 50 states, and several qui tam relators.*
- Represented a life sciences company in qui tam False Claims Act litigation based on alleged Anti-Kickback Statute violations.*
*Matter handled prior to joining Jenner & Block LLP
Credentials
Overview
Karin Dryhurst is a first-chair litigator and strategic advisor to financial institutions and fintech companies navigating high-stakes litigation, government enforcement actions, and complex regulatory risk. Her practice sits at the intersection of class action defense, consumer protection litigation, and multi-agency government investigations and litigation. Co-Chair of Jenner & Block’s Fintech and Crypto Assets Practice, Karin brings distinctive insights and experiences into how enforcement agencies approach and coordinate complex matters.
A skilled commercial litigator, Karin has built a distinguished record defending banks, credit unions, mortgage and student loan servicers, payments platforms, and fintech companies in class actions, government-facing litigation, and consumer protection disputes. She has experience representing clients against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and multiple state attorneys general.
Karin’s class action practice is particularly notable. She has achieved repeated success striking class allegations at the motion-to-dismiss stage, including a precedent-setting decision before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Karin has deep experience defending fraud-based claims and anti-discrimination claims under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) and the Fair Housing Act (FHA). Her practice consistently involves matters with significant regulatory scrutiny, institutional risk, and public visibility — the kind of high-stakes, reputationally significant litigation where precision and strategic judgment are paramount.
She has handled high stakes matters for financial services clients from the initial inquiry or complaint all the way through trial. Karin has also prepared and defended multiple CEOs and other senior executives in testimony and interviews before the SEC, CFPB, and DOJ.
Karin is committed to pro bono and regularly works on criminal defense and civil rights matters.
Prior to joining Jenner & Block, Karin was a partner in the government and regulatory litigation group at an AmLaw 50 firm.
Areas of Focus
Representative Matters
- Defended a leading payments platform in litigation brought by a state consumer protection agency.*
- Obtained dismissal of multiple class actions filed against a national credit union related to alleged fraud on Zelle.*
- Defended through trial the former chief auditor of a large bank holding company in an OCC enforcement action.*
- Defended a large student loan servicer in one of the few actively litigated CFPB enforcement actions, from the motion to dismiss through discovery and dispositive motions.*
- Defended a large bank in a False Claims Act qui tam litigation.*
- Defended a technology company in consumer class actions bringing claims based on alleged gift card fraud.*
- Represented a large bank in mediation regarding alleged employment discrimination.*
- Represented a consumer goods company in criminal and civil False Claims Act investigations and litigation, resulting in a no-admission civil settlement with the DOJ, multiple US Attorneys’ Offices, the FTC, all 50 states, and several qui tam relators.*
- Represented a life sciences company in qui tam False Claims Act litigation based on alleged Anti-Kickback Statute violations.*
*Matter handled prior to joining Jenner & Block LLP
Credentials
Admissions
- District of Columbia
- New York
Education
- New York University School of Law, JD, cum laude
- University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, BA, Journalism and Political Science
Clerkships
- Hon. Harris L Hartz, US Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit