Dawn Sears Callaghan

Dawn Sears Callaghan is Vice President and Counsel for Porterfield, Lowenthal & Fettig, LLC, with a concentration in the firm's financial services practice. Callaghan came to Porterfield, Lowenthal & Fettig after serving as Director of Government Relations and Counsel for Van Scoyoc Associates, Inc. (VSA) where she was responsible for providing policy and legislative guidance and expertise to VSA’s financial services clients.

Callaghan also provided strategic advice at a trade association, serving as legislative counsel for the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA). As legislative counsel, Callaghan was responsible for advocating financial services issues on behalf of community banks before Congress, the administration, and federal agencies.

Callaghan’s experience includes legal research, drafting policy and testimony, and also analyzing financial services legislation and regulation for its potential impact on clients. Some of Callaghan’s portfolio of issues include:  the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the FACT Act, the Patriot Act, capital markets, mortgage finance reform, financial privacy and data security, real estate/banking, government-sponsored enterprises, deposit insurance reform and bankruptcy reform.

Callaghan also worked on Capitol Hill for the Senate Judiciary Committee and served as legislative counsel working on financial services issues for Representative Lee Terry then serving on the House Banking Committee.

A native of Rhode Island, Callaghan is a graduate of Roger Williams University and Roger Williams University School of Law in Rhode Island. She is admitted to practice in Connecticut and before the United States Supreme Court.