Washington, D.C. – Democracy Forward today announced the launch of a new Regulatory and Legal Research practice, which will help the organization continue to meet the needs of people and communities as a number of federal rules and regulations are set to be proposed or implemented that negatively impact people’s lives. The team builds off of Democracy Forward’s deep expertise in administrative law and the regulatory process at the federal and state levels and adds capacity and infrastructure that will further enable the many communities and organizations that Democracy Forward represents to confront harmful policies before they are implemented. In addition to supporting a range of communities, organizations, and entities, the new team will also provide unique opportunities for individuals to engage in the regulatory process to ensure their voices are heard.
“Agency rules and regulations have a massive, generational impact on people, and this new practice will help formalize how we connect with communities and strengthen our democracy through strategic participation in policy and rulemaking processes,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “We are thrilled that the Regulatory and Legal Research Practice will make Democracy Forward an even more full-service organization.”
The new team will monitor regulations and regulatory actions to ensure any proposals that could degrade democracy or threaten people in favor of partisan politics or special interests are met with fierce and coordinated response. While Democracy Forward has long engaged in regulatory and comment processes on behalf of clients and communities, the new practice will strengthen coordinated strategies so that communities that will be most affected by policy proposals are engaged in the comment process and prepared to confront any harmful efforts if they are implemented.
As part of the team’s launch, Democracy Forward published a new regulatory tracker, which provides real-time visibility into federal rulemaking activity across the issue areas that matter most to people and communities. The tracker is designed to keep partners and advocates informed and engaged–helping ensure that no harmful proposal goes unanswered.
The team will be led by Christopher Deal, who joins Democracy Forward in the role of Director of Regulatory Affairs and Legal Research. Chris most recently served as Deputy General Counsel for Litigation at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), where he led the team of lawyers responsible for representing the agency in the federal courts of appeals, defending the CFPB in federal district court, and advancing the CFPB’s interests in friend-of-the-court briefs. In his nearly ten years in the Office of Litigation, Chris directly handled or supervised many of the agency’s most significant cases and helped the CFPB navigate multiple separation-of-powers challenges in courts across the country, successfully defend its regulations, and forcefully advance its views on cutting-edge questions of statutory interpretation.
Chris joins Democracy Forward as part of the many high profile hires Democracy Forward has made from across the federal agencies. Democracy Forward has scaled its operations dramatically since January 2025, more than doubling its team and building a deep bench that includes former top U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) officials, former DOJ trial and appellate attorneys, and former CFPB, federal agency and White House officials, as well as top plaintiffs and defense attorneys from private practice.
In addition to Deal, the Regulatory and Legal Research team will grow to add attorneys and researchers with regulatory experience to enhance its operations. The new practice is part of Democracy Forward’s Oversight, Regulatory Affairs, and Strategic Initiatives Division, which is led by Senior Director of Oversight, Regulatory Affairs, and Strategic Initiatives Julia Szybala. Julia spent a decade at the CFPB, where she most recently served as Assistant General Counsel for Oversight. In her time at the Bureau, Julia managed the agency’s responses to investigations and oversight inquiries from Congress, the Government Accountability Office, and the Inspector General, and helped agency leaders across multiple administrations navigate complex legal and policy issues with an emphasis on transparency, accountability, and good governance. Julia began her career in private practice, where she focused on regulatory compliance and internal investigations.
Products generated from the Regulatory and Legal Research practice will provide an important resource for Democracy Forward’s Democracy 2025, a coalition that is now more than 720 organizations strong, to ensure swift legal challenges and responses to governmental actions that threaten people and our democracy. Democracy 2025 and its resource center have provided needed resources for pro-democracy groups across civil society as well as state and local communities.
“As this administration pushes harmful rules through the regulatory process, we must use every tool at our disposal to fight back,” said Christopher Deal. “I am honored to be part of a team that will expose the flaws in these damaging proposals and equip communities to respond.”
For more information about Democracy Forward’s team, please visit https://democracyforward.org/about/team/.
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Democracy Forward Foundation is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement. For more information, please visit www.democracyforward.org.
