Spencer, Clayton Lee

Mr. Spak is a civil litigator who resolves complex commercial and insurance coverage disputes. He has a particular focus on financial services litigation, and he has handled Fair Credit Reporting Act cases from Maine to California and from Minnesota to Texas. But his practice involves commercial lawsuits of all kinds, including antitrust claims, contract disputes, collections and foreclosures, and disputes over the handling of investments and pensions. He is familiar with all phases of litigation, from pleadings through discovery, motions practice, and trial. He comments on FCRA litigation on his blog.

Jason was an award-winning high school and college prep teacher before he decided to attend law school, and he likes to think that his teaching experience helps him translate legal jargon into plain English.  He received his own education from the University of Michigan Law School (J.D., cum laude, 2002) and the University of Notre Dame (B.A., Honors Program, 1995). While both institutions have been nationally acclaimed (US News & World Report ranks Michigan Law among the top ten among national law schools and Notre Dame among the top twenty national undergraduate programs), Jason cheers for Notre Dame when the two play football.

After graduating from Michigan Law, Jason first learned his trade in the Pittsburgh offices of two of the world's largest law firms. In 2002, he joined the international law firm of Jones Day as a litigation attorney in what the American Lawyer Magazine later named the Litigation Department of the Year. In 2006, he joined the international law firm of Reed Smith and its acclaimed financial services practice. At both firms, he helped defend several bet the company lawsuits involving a paint manufacturer, a call center operator, a soft drink manufacturer, and a mutual fund family.

Jason lives with his wife and four children in the City of Pittsburgh's Highland Park neighborhood.  He provides pro bono legal services to several neighborhood organizations in that area, including Lawrenceville United, Friendship Development Associates, Inc., and the Pittsburgh Toy Lending Library, and with his family belongs to Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

REPRESENTATIVE CASES

• Valley Waste Service v. Big Beaver Borough (Beaver CCP, 2010) obtained judgment affirming client's challenges to a conditional use permit
• Stublaski v. Trans Union (D. Minn. 2009) obtained dismissal of FCRA claim
• Jarvis v. Rossetti (E.D.N.Y. 2009) obtained dismissal of ERISA claim
• Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Inc. v. Schoen (Allegheny CCP, 2008) obtained judgment on the pleadings in a contested foreclosure
• Perez v. Trans Union, 526 F. Supp. 2d 504 (E.D. Pa. 2007) obtained summary judgment of FCRA claim
• Diamond Triumph v. Safelite, 441 F. Supp. 2d 695 (M.D. Pa. 2006) obtained summary judgment of Lanham Act claim
• Pucciarelli v. Friendship Development Associates (Allegheny CCP, 2006) obtained dismissal of lis pendens and breach of contract claim