Seth Frotman

Seth Frotman is a Senior Fellow at the Berkeley Center for Consumer Law and Economic Justice and Towards Justice. From 2021 to 2025, he served as General Counsel and Senior Advisor to the Director at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. As General Counsel, Frotman oversaw all aspects of the CFPB’s legal work, including litigation, administrative law, ethics, labor and employment, and Congressional oversight. With his guidance, the CFPB successfully defended its constitutionality before the U.S. Supreme Court and launched groundbreaking initiatives on junk fees, medical debt, worker surveillance, and the stampede of Big Tech into consumer finance.

Before returning to the CFPB in 2021, Frotman co-founded and served as the Executive Director of the Student Borrower Protection Center (SBPC), a leading nationwide consumer advocacy organization working to end America’s student debt crisis. Prior to co-founding SBPC, Frotman spent seven years at the CFPB in a series of leadership positions, including overseeing the agency’s student loan portfolio as Assistant Director and Student Loan Ombudsman and serving as Senior Advisor to Holly Petraeus, Assistant Director for Servicemember Affairs. In recognition of his efforts to protect military families from predatory lending, Seth received the Office of the Secretary of Defense Award for Excellence. Frotman also previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Legislative Director for Congressman Patrick Murphy, where his portfolio included the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell;” worked in the New Jersey State Senate on consumer protection legislation; and clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Frotman holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with high distinction from the University of Michigan, and graduated summa cum laude from Indiana University Maurer School of Law.