Get to know GLCCA board member Justin Penn, partner at Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP.
How did you get started in this industry?
I have only ever worked as a litigator in this industry. When I got hired at Hinshaw & Culbertson in 2003, I got placed with Dave Schultz, who is a partner here. Dave was, and remains, one of the most well-respected defense attorneys in the consumer finance practice. I was fortunate enough to start out with him, and now we’ve been working together for 20 years, defending the industry.
Do you have a career highlight that you are most proud of?
I’m most proud of the coordination of efforts among the industry to fight in a really smart way and to litigate in a coordinated manner. What do I mean by that? Issues often pop up that present challenges for the industry, and as one of the people on the front lines I really enjoy coming up with a coordinated approach to address those challenges. And because Hinshaw has a national footprint, we’re in a position to influence litigation trends on a national scale. For example, most recently there was the Hunstein case in the 11th Circuit, where the court questioned whether collection agencies could lawfully use outside letter vendors. All of a sudden, we saw a rash these cases that the industry collectively was able to come up with a coordinated strategy to beat back. We should all be proud of that.
Why did you want to get involved in GLCCA?
I’ve been a participant for many years. One of my partners, John Ryan, was a past president of GLCCA. Particularly when he was rising up through the board, all the partners here at Hinshaw got more keenly involved.
And when John came off the GLCCA board, I saw there was an opportunity for me to get more involved and be a voice for Illinois members. It’s a strong board and I’ve been friends with them for a long time, but to see them work together as a group firsthand is really, really impressive.
What are your thoughts on the value of GLCCA?
I tell anybody who will listen that attending the GLCCA annual conference is the best bang for your buck in the industry by a mile. It’s an incredibly economical way to stay keyed into the industry. I feel really passionately that people should take advantage of that because it’s an outstanding conference.