Joseph Gabai is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Morrison & Foerster. Mr. Gabai’s practice focuses on the representation of banks, savings associations, mortgage banking companies, finance companies, and their holding companies and affiliates. He has special expertise in the regulatory area. Mr. Gabai regularly works with the Truth-In-Lending Act, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, Community Reinvestment Act, Electronic Fund Transfer Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Truth in Savings Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Homeowners Protection Act, National Bank Act, Home Owners’ Loan Act, Federal Deposit Insurance Act, State lender licensing laws, and federal and state privacy laws. Much of Mr. Gabai’s time is spent on strategic planning issues, regulatory developments, retail banking issues and negotiating with the federal and state banking agencies on behalf of financial institution clients. He has also worked with financial institution clients and their lobbyists in connection with the drafting of legislation and regulations on both the federal and state levels. He participated in the drafting of the recodification of the California Savings Association Law in 1983, and the task force to rewrite the California Banking Law several years later. Notwithstanding the esoteric nature of Mr. Gabai’s area of concentration, he takes a pragmatic approach to the practice of law.

Mr. Gabai is a frequent speaker on issues of interest to banks and thrifts. He served for three years as a member of California State Bar’s Consumer Financial Services Committee and, before that, for three years as a member of the State Bar’s Financial Institutions Committee. Mr. Gabai was named a recommended attorney in the area of Financial Services: Banking & Securities (Regulatory Compliance) by Chambers and Partners in 2007 and 2008. He was also named a 2007, 2008, and 2009 Best Lawyer in America in the field of Banking Law.

Mr. Gabai received his B.A. in economics, with highest distinction, from the Pennsylvania State University in 1973, where he was named an Evan Pugh Scholar. He received his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1976. Mr. Gabai has spent his entire career practicing in Los Angeles. He joined Morrison & Foerster as a partner in April 1990 and served as chair of the firm’s Financial Services Practice Group from 1994 to 2001. Prior to that, Mr. Gabai was a partner and chairman of the banking department of McKenna, Connor & Cuneo.