Brownstein’s Leah Dempsey Recognized as Top Lobbyist

Dempsey, ACA’s lobbyist, has been a key advocate for ACA’s members on regulatory and legislative issues impacting the ARM industry.

Leah Dempsey, shareholder and cochair of the financial services practice at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP, was recently recognized as a 2025 Top Lobbyist by the National Institute for Lobbying and Ethics (NILE).

NILE selects 100 top lobbyists, ranging from grassroots and association categories to corporate and large firm categories, for the award. The organization said it received a record number of nominations this year, “each accompanied by impressive letters of recommendation from colleagues, clients, former and current Members of Congress, high-ranking government officials, and former Cabinet secretaries — underscoring the high caliber of professionals who make up the advocacy community,” according to a news release on the lobbyist awards.

Dempsey is recognized in the large firm category for her work with Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck and its clients.

She joined Brownstein in 2022 after working as ACA’s vice president of federal advocacy since May 2018. Before that, she served as senior director of advocacy and counsel for the Credit Union National Association and policy director of the Community Financial Services Association.

“As someone who has spent my career advocating before Congress and federal agencies from the CFPB, FHA, to FCC, I’ve seen firsthand how informed advocacy can shape fair, effective regulations and protect American employees and business owners,” Dempsey said in response to the top lobbyist recognition. “Lobbying and legal advocacy are often necessary to educate policymakers or to make needed changes to account for real-world impacts. Whether guiding financial services clients through rulemaking or challenging agency overreach, advocacy is an important tool to help make people’s lives better and ensure a fair and transparent outcome.”

Dempsey has extensive experience guiding financial services industry participants and businesses through rulemaking, regulatory, and legislative processes, and has played a significant role in enacting reforms to laws and regulations that impact the industry.

Her work with Brownstein was instrumental in regulatory advocacy on the CFPB’s medical debt credit reporting rule. This included coordinating ACA members’ participation in the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act process and in ACA’s lawsuit, where the court ultimately vacated the rule.

Working with Dempsey, Brownstein, and co-plaintiff Collection Bureau Services Inc., ACA also filed a lawsuit on the CFPB’s medical debt advisory opinion. As a result of these efforts, the CFPB withdrew the opinion in April 2025.

Among many other important projects as ACA’s lobbyist, Dempsey is also instrumental in ensuring ACA’s members’ voices are heard on Capitol Hill, such as during ACA’s annual Washington Insights Fly-In, through her longstanding relationships with congressional leaders.

ACA congratulates Dempsey on this well-deserved recognition.

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