Timothy J. St. George

Tim represents clients in federal and state courts, at both the trial and appellate levels. He focuses his practice in the areas of complex litigation and business disputes, financial services litigation, and consumer litigation.

Tim is a nationally recognized expert on issues relating to the Fair Credit Reporting Act and employment background screening, as well as class action litigation. He currently teaches the basic and advanced FCRA certification courses for the Professional Background Screening Association, which is the leading trade association for background screening companies and employers conducting screening. Tim further serves as outside general counsel for several background screening companies. Tim also has extensive experience in representing companies in multidistrict litigation arising out of data breaches, having handled several of the largest data breaches in recent U.S. history.

In 2018, Tim was one of only five attorneys nationwide to be designated as a Law360 Rising Star in the field of consumer law, which identified attorneys whose legal accomplishments “transcend” their age. From 2018-2022, Tim also was identified by Benchmark Litigation as one of the top attorneys under the age of 40 in the country. Tim has written and spoken nationally on issues relating to complex litigation, background screening, and consumer protection. He has led national compliance and litigation seminars/webinars on class actions, the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), data breach defense, class action litigation, and consumer protection.

Tim has experience in all phases of complex litigation, including serving as lead trial counsel in federal and state courts and in arbitration, where he has secured both jury verdicts and numerous defense judgments for his clients in both bench and jury trials. He also has substantial class action experience, having served as counsel in connection with more than 100 proposed class actions. Additionally, Tim has served as counsel on successful appeals before the Supreme Court of Virginia, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Tim recently served as president of the Richmond, Virginia Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.

Tim also was selected by the judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia to serve on the last three committees to select magistrate judges in the Richmond Division.

In 2023, Tim was appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia to serve a three-year term on the faculty of Virginia’s mandatory course on professionalism and ethics.

Tim also is an invited member of the Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference.

Tim began his legal career by serving as a judicial law clerk to the Hon. Robert E. Payne, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Consumer Litigation

• Lead counsel for tenant screening provider in three-week bench trial, with bellwether plaintiffs asserting first-impression claims of disparate impact and disparate treatment under the federal Fair Housing Act. Successfully defeated claims in securing valuable, precedential ruling for the screening industry.
• Counsel for leading software-as-a-service provider in MDL proceeding arising out of ransomware attack.
• Counsel for Fortune 100 federally chartered bank in MDL proceeding aggregating more than 70 class actions arising out of prominent data breach. Successfully resolved case with opposition to class certification and motions for summary judgment pending.
• Lead counsel for national trust of pool student loans holding billions of dollars in loans in a series of nationwide class actions challenging debt collection practices and loan ownership. Successfully secured summary judgment in multiple cases.
• Lead counsel for multiple data brokers and wholesalers of public record information in putative class actions in multiple states attempting to apply the FCRA to their business models, achieving denials of class certification and dismissal of actions.
• Lead counsel for nation’s largest provider of motor vehicle records in putative nationwide FCRA class actions challenging record accuracy.
• Served as lead counsel for national tenant screening company in numerous putative class action lawsuits filed contemporaneously across the U.S. implicating criminal and eviction history reporting, dispute practices, and file disclosure practices.
• Served as lead counsel for a national tenant screening company in a proposed nationwide FCRA class claim challenging the reporting of race, which was dismissed on First Amendment grounds, and outdated criminal histories, on which class certification was defeated.
• Represented a nationwide debt collector in claims under the Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA). Secured dismissal of the action before the trial court and then served as lead appellate counsel before the Ninth Circuit, which unanimously affirmed the dismissal.
• Obtained denial of class certification as lead counsel for a national background screening company in a significant class action asserting novel claims for liability under the FCRA with more than $1.7 billion in potential exposure.
• Represented a national debt collection agency in an investigation by 41 state attorneys general into its collection practices, including coordinating the debt collector’s response to the associated subpoenas issued by the state participants.
• Defeated a motion for class certification as lead counsel for a national debt collector with respect to a putative New York class action challenging litigation practices under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and state consumer protection statutes.
• Acted as counsel for a wholesale retailer of health care data in a FCRA putative class action asserting claims of first impression. Secured transfer of the case to a more favorable forum and subsequent denial of a request for class certification.
• Represented a national debt collection firm in a 700-plaintiff “mass action” for claims of numerous violations of the FDCPA.
• Defended a national collections agency and its wholly owned subsidiaries against claims of FDCPA violation, civil conspiracy, violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), and abuse of process.

Complex Litigation

• Served as lead counsel for a nationwide producer of farm-related products with respect to an attempted injunction of a $180 million asset sale. Secured both dissolution of the injunction and successful consummation of the sale.
• Lead counsel for Virginia municipality in $10 million breach of contract lawsuit against neighboring municipality challenging failure to pay required charges for shared sewer system services.
• As specially retained appellate counsel to the commonwealth of Virginia concerning a challenge to a $2.1 billion public-private partnership infrastructure project, secured reversal of the trial court’s constitutional ruling in the largest commercial case litigated against a Virginia state agency.
• Represented a regional tobacco company in a declaratory judgment action implicating a sale on interest in $70 million of qualified settlement fund escrow accounts. Obtained a favorable verdict after a four-day bench trial, which the Fourth Circuit affirmed.
• Served as lead trial counsel for a regional health care provider in a bench trial in a claim against a contractor for breach of contract and defamation. Obtained a six-figure verdict, including a contested award of all attorneys’ fees incurred.
• Represented a Fortune 1000 coal mining corporation in a shareholder class action challenging the terms of a proposed $8.5 billion merger. Obtained dismissal of the action with no payment to shareholders and with consummation of the merger.
• Represented a national brokerage firm in a breach of contract/unjust enrichment claim concerning the sale of more than $400 million in tax-exempt municipal assets. The case settled on highly favorable terms five days before trial after defeat of defendant’s dispositive motions.
• Served as counsel for a Fortune 1000 coal mining corporation in an action for breach of contract. The case was resolved after extensive discovery, resulting in millions of dollars of price concessions to the coal company.

Financial Services Litigation

• Lead counsel for fintech loan servicers in multiple nationwide class actions challenging compliance with usury laws and origination practices. Successfully moved to compel arbitration and to strike class allegations.
• National FCRA counsel for national bank, assisting in dozens of matters relating to consumer disputes and claims of identity theft.
• Lead counsel for financial data broker in claims of conspiracy and misappropriate of trade secrets. Achieved denial of motion for temporary restraining order and dismissal of claims.
• Serving as national counsel for a Fortune 200 banking institution in more than 200 cases with regard to numerous individual and class claims asserted under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, the FTC Holder Rule, and various state consumer protection statutes in more than 30 states.
• Obtained a directed verdict at trial as lead trial counsel for a national banking institution with respect to a claim for systematic mortgage fraud.
• Served as counsel for a national banking institution in an action seeking enforcement of a $10 million letter of credit. Obtained a favorable settlement prior to trial, permitting enforcement of the note.
• Served as lead counsel for a national banking institution relative to claims of breach of fiduciary duty and breach of trust. Obtained a dismissal of all claims with prejudice at the motion-to-dismiss stage.

• Best Lawyers in America®: Commercial Litigation (2025-2026), Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants (2025-2026)
• Benchmark Litigation: “Future Litigation Star” in Virginia (2024-2025); “40 & Under Hot List” (2018-2023)
• Law360 Rising Star (National), Consumer Law, Law360 (2018)
• Up & Coming Lawyers, Virginia Lawyers Weekly (2018)
• Virginia Super Lawyers (2013-2020); “Rising Star” (2012)