Eileen M. Bitterman
Compliance Officer and Shareholder
Overseeing the firm’s compliance initiatives, Eileen protects the interests of consumers and creditors alike.
At Weltman, compliance is not just relative to our software or technology - it is our culture. At the center of it all is Weltman’s compliance audit department, led by Compliance Officer and Shareholder Eileen Bitterman, who is also currently a member of the firm’s management committee. The compliance audit department strives to detect, investigate, and resolve any potential issues that could result in any form of consumer harm. It is a practice – a discipline – that we take seriously as a leader in the creditors’ rights industry.
Providing direction and oversight of the firm’s compliance management system, Eileen and the compliance audit team ensures our processes, procedures, and technology match the needs of the firm, the firm’s clients, as well as the demands of an increasingly regulatory environment. As part of the firm’s compliance management system, the firm developed and maintains hundreds of standard operating procedures, a document review program, a complaint analysis and response system, sophisticated tracking and reporting tools, and dozens of proprietary training programs covering the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), and other applicable state and federal laws and regulations. Celebrating 25 years of service with the firm, she is a frequent lecturer on regulatory and federal laws that impact the debt collection industry.
Eileen is AV® Preeminent™ Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, its highest available rating for legal ability and professional ethics. She is extremely active within the industry, serving in a leadership role on a number of committees, including member of the Education Council for ACA International, Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Board of Visitors Member, Cleveland Bar Association Joint Bar Admissions Committee and Appeals Subcommittee, and the Ohio State Bar Association Council of Delegates.
Providing direction and oversight of the firm’s compliance management system, Eileen and the compliance audit team ensures our processes, procedures, and technology match the needs of the firm, the firm’s clients, as well as the demands of an increasingly regulatory environment. As part of the firm’s compliance management system, the firm developed and maintains hundreds of standard operating procedures, a document review program, a complaint analysis and response system, sophisticated tracking and reporting tools, and dozens of proprietary training programs covering the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), and other applicable state and federal laws and regulations. Celebrating 25 years of service with the firm, she is a frequent lecturer on regulatory and federal laws that impact the debt collection industry.
Eileen is AV® Preeminent™ Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, its highest available rating for legal ability and professional ethics. She is extremely active within the industry, serving in a leadership role on a number of committees, including member of the Education Council for ACA International, Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Board of Visitors Member, Cleveland Bar Association Joint Bar Admissions Committee and Appeals Subcommittee, and the Ohio State Bar Association Council of Delegates.
Credentials
Honors & Distinctions
Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated AttorneyOhio Super Lawyers, Ohio Rising Stars, 2005-2006
Admissions
Ohio, 1997U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, 2003
Education
J.D., Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, 1997B.A., Economics, University of Dayton, 1991
Affiliations
ACA International: Past Chair of the Members Attorney Program (MAP), former member for the MAP Committee of the Board of Directors and of the Council of DelegatesBoard of Visitors of The Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall College of Law
Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association: Joint Bar Admissions Committee, Appeals Subcommittee
National Creditors Bar Association’s (NCBA) Meaningful Involvement Commission
Ohio State Bar Association: Member and elected representative on the Council of Delegates
West Shore Bar Association: Member
West-Side Irish American Club: Member
Presentations
"Under New Management: CFPB & Debt Collection," Consumer Bankers Association (CBA Live), August 16, 2021"The Power of Ten Minutes: Bite-Sized Ethics," Association of Credit and Collection Professionals (ACA International), July 30, 2021
"Complaint Management: Building a Culture of Compliance," Association of Credit and Collection Professionals (ACA), May 24, 2021
"The Debt Collection Rule: Communictions, Disclosures, and the Other Changes You Need to Know," American Bar Association, April 19, 2021
"Validation Notice Information - You Had Me at Hello," ACA International, January 7, 2021
“The CFPB’s Proposed Rule: Peeling Back the Layers,” ACA International Cast, July 8, 2019
“Validation Notices,” ACA International Deep-Dive Webinar Series, June 6, 2019
“Creating, Conducting, and Remediating Internal Audits,” The National Creditors Bar Association Spring Conference, May 16, 2019
“Dealing with Cease and Desist Communications,” Consumer Bankers Association Conference, April 1, 2019
“Weltman Recovery Strategy Programs,” Consumer Banker Association Conference; Default Management Committee Presentation, March 31, 2019
“Emerging Technology and Innovation in Collection Communication,” ACA International Annual Convention Legal Conference MAP Coordinator, July 25, 2018
“Give a Hoot, Don’t Mess Up a Dispute: Reporting Strategies for Defending and Preventing Claims,” ACA International Sigma 6 Compliance Legal Education Teleseminar, June 12, 2018
“Vendor Partnerships and the Compliance Programs That Safeguard Them,” Consumer Banker Association Conference; Default Management Committee Presentation, March 11, 2018
"Medical Debt Collection: HIPAA and FDCPA Regulations,” National Business Institute Seminar, June 7, 2017
“Revenge of the Audited! How Creditors’ Rights Attorneys Can Audit Their Third-Party Providers and Clients,” The National Creditors Bar Association Spring Conference, May 18, 2017