GENERAL SESSION: Judicial Perspectives

Vice President, Managing Regulatory Counsel, Mortgage Bankers Association

Justin Wiseman is Vice President and Managing Regulatory Counsel in the Public Policy and Industry Relations department at the Mortgage Bankers Association. Justin manages MBA’s Regulatory Policy team that covers legal issues, trends in litigation, regulatory compliance matters, and servicing as well as provides strategic direction to advance MBA member priorities on regulatory and legal matters. This team also analyzes pending rules and legislation, provides comments on behalf of MBA members on pending rules or regulations and helps develops MBA’s posture towards innovation and innovation policy. Prior to this, he staffed MBA’s Loan Administration committee, providing policy development insights and working with stakeholders to advocate on behalf of the industry.

Co-Chair, Financial Services Litigation, Stradley, Ronon, Stevens & Young, LLP

Andrew K. Stutzman is a Philadelphia trial lawyer who founded and chairs the financial services litigation practice at Stradley Ronon. Andrew resolves complex disputes through litigation, especially finance-related matters. He has tried civil cases of diverse subject matters in many state, federal and ADR courts throughout his career and assisted in the defense of government investigations and criminal proceedings. Andrew’s team resolves disputes involving consumer or commercial financial products or services. Andrew is often invited to discuss finance litigation topics, and has been privileged to appear at events of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Mortgage Bankers Association and the Risk Management Association.

U.S. Magistrate Judge, Southern District of California

Karen S. Crawford was appointed as a Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of California in March, 2012. Previously, she was a partner at Duane Morris LLP, and Litigation Chair in their San Diego office. Before entering private practice, Judge Crawford served as a Trial Attorney in the Civil Division, Torts Branch in Washington, D.C. where she received the Director’s Award for outstanding service. Thereafter, she was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Diego. Judge Crawford has been an active participant in the American Inns of Court both nationally and locally, having served as the Secretary and member of the Board of the American Inns of Court Foundation. She is the past President of the Louis M. Welsh Inn of Court and current President of the J. Clifford Wallace Inn of Court. In 1998, she received the A. Sherman Christensen Award in recognition of inspiring leadership with the American Inns of Court movement and committed efforts to improve the American Legal profession. Judge Crawford is also a member of the San Diego Lawyers Club and serves on the Board of Governors of the San Diego Chapter of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers. She graduated from California Western School of Law and was honored to receive the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2015.

United States District Court, Central District of California

Judge Wesley L. Hsu is judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. President Joseph R. Biden announced his intent to nominate Judge Hsu on December 21, 2022, and the United States Senate confirmed Judge Hsu on May 3, 2023. Judge Hsu took his oath of office on May 19, 2023. Prior to his confirmation, Judge Hsu served as a Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge from 2017-23, presiding over civil, criminal and family law calendars. From 2021-22, he also served as the Assistant Site Judge for the El Monte Courthouse. Before being appointed to the state court, Judge Hsu served as the Deputy United States Attorney (“DUSA”) for the Central District of California, supervising the Civil, Criminal, National Security, and Tax Divisions of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Los Angeles. Before becoming the DUSA, Judge Hsu served as the Executive Assistant United States Attorney (“EAUSA”), advising the United States Attorney on all matters related to the administration and operation of the Office. Judge Hsu also served as Chief of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section for more than seven years. Under Judge Hsu’s leadership, the section handled the investigation of the hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment by North Korean agents and led the nation in prosecuting crimes against women involving the Internet, including prosecuting a previously uncharged crime: “sextortion.” Judge Hsu secured a number of “first of its kind” convictions, including the first conviction in the nation for hacking an industrial control system, the first conviction by jury trial for hacking in the Central District of California, and the first conviction in the nation under the CAN-SPAM Act. Judge Hsu has taught cyber and intellectual property crimes and trial advocacy at Loyola Law School and legal writing at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law. He was a law clerk for the Honorable Mariana R. Pfaelzer and attended both Yale College and Yale Law School.

South Carolina Circuit Court

Judge Clifton Newman started his career as a practicing attorney and Assistant Solicitor of his own law practice. After 24 years as a practicing attorney, the South Carolina General Assembly unanimously elected him to the Circuit Court in 2000. Aside from his regular docket, he is a Business Court Judge and was appointed by the South Carolina Supreme Court to serve as a special referee in several complex matters. He served as the Presiding Judge over the Multi-Week Trial Docket, a specialized docket of complex construction and other multi-week cases along coastal South Carolina. He has presided in each of the forty-six counties of the state and over numerous high profile criminal cases including The State of South Carolina v. Michael Slager, a police shooting in Charleston County; The State of South Carolina v. Nathaniel Rowland, known as the “Fake Uber” case; and most recently, The State of South Carolina v. Richard Alexander Murdaugh. Among the many awards and honors he has received are: The Order of The Palmetto, Office of the Governor; Honorary Diplomate, The American Board of Trial Advocates; Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Lifetime Achievement; The Matthew J. Perry Civility Award; The Chief Justice Ernest A. Finney, Jr. Trailblazer Award; and Honorary Doctor of Laws, South Carolina State University. Judge Newman retired in 2023 after 23 years of service and is now an active/retired circuit court judge and a mediator/arbitrator with JAMS, a leading dispute resolution firm. He received a Bachelor of Art and Juris Doctorate from Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio.

U.S Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of California

Judge Taylor has served as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of California since January 2008. She ended a seven-year term as Chief Judge in October of 2019. In January 2013, Judge Taylor was appointed to a seven-year term on the Ninth Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel (BAP); she was reappointed December 31, 2019, and in August became its Chief Judge. She concluded her service on the BAP in 2022. In March 2019, Judge Taylor was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy. She served as the Conference Chair for the 2012 Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference and as Program Chair for the 2011 Conference. Judge Taylor previously served on the Ninth Circuit Bankruptcy Judges Education Committee, the Ninth Circuit Pro Se Committee and the Federal Judicial Center's Chief Judge Education Committee. She actively participates in educational programs in bankruptcy law. Judge Taylor received her B.A. with Highest Honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her J.D. with Honors from Duke University.