Shelli J. Clarkston
Overview
Shelli focuses her practice on regulatory compliance, corporate governance, and strategic transactions for clients in the financial services, FinTech, and technology sectors. Her work combines deep knowledge of the evolving regulatory landscape with practical experience advising banks, credit unions, lenders, and technology companies on structuring compliant, forward-looking business operations.
In the financial institutions and FinTech space, Shelli counsels clients on licensing, lending, payments, and consumer protection laws, including the Bank Holding Company Act, Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), Truth in Lending Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and state-specific lending frameworks. She regularly assists fintech companies in navigating bank partnerships, compliance management systems, and vendor management obligations to align with FDIC, OCC, NCUA, CFPB, and state regulator expectations.
Shelli’s corporate practice includes entity formation, governance, and shareholder arrangements, as well as advising on mergers, acquisitions, and strategic investments. She manages transactions from due diligence through negotiation and closing, addressing issues such as data security, technology licensing, and regulatory approval processes.
Shelli also advises clients on privacy and cybersecurity compliance, including GLBA, GDPR, and CCPA requirements, as well as NIST and CISA cybersecurity frameworks. Her work includes drafting and negotiating data processing agreements, incident response plans, and information security provisions in vendor contracts. She frequently assists clients with cross-border data transfer issues, AI decisioning compliance, and cloud services contracting.
In the technology sector, Shelli drafts and negotiates agreements involving software licensing, open-source components, SaaS platforms, and emerging technologies, ensuring that clients remain compliant with both commercial and regulatory requirements.
This multidisciplinary approach allows Shelli to serve as a strategic advisor to clients navigating complex regulatory, transactional, and technology-driven issues, helping them innovate and grow while minimizing legal and compliance risk.
Credentials
Education
- University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law, 2012 (LLM)
- University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law, 2012 (J.D.)
- Doane University, 2009 (M.A.)
- University of Nebraska – Lincoln, 2005 (B.S.)
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas
- “Facing Wire Transfer Fraud Losses? Steps to Ensure Your Bank Has Coverage,” Show-Me Banker Magazine, January 2025
- “A Growing Fraud Scheme Your Financial Institution Should be Aware of, and How to Protect Against Losses,” In Touch Magazine, November 2024
- “Cyberattacks and Incident Response – Preparation and Response,” Cornerstone League, December 2024
- “Acronym Soup: CCPA 2023 Year in Review,” West LegalEdcenter Webinar, December 2024
- “The High Importance of High Valuation,” American Bankers Association Conference for Community Bankers, February 2024
- “Whoa: My Business is a ‘Financial Institution?” Ingram’s Magazine, October 2023
- “Legal Eagle Spotlight: AI In Lending Decisioning and Unintended Discrimination,” Show-Me Banker Magazine, October 2023
- “Combating Electronic Fraud,” Missouri Independent Banker Association (MIBA) 46th Annual Convention & Expo, September 2023
- “General Counsel Strategies for Community Banks,” Independent Banker Magazine, May 2023
- “2023 State of Litigation,” Data Privacy and Cyber Security, April 12, 2023
- “Banks concerned about employees’ use of WhatsApp have options,” American Banker, September 2022