Alumni Spotlight:
Tarrian Ellis ’18
Our Alumni Spotlight Series highlights some of the most remarkable members of our alumni community—NYLS graduates who are shaping the future of law and making meaningful contributions in New York City and beyond.
Meet Tarrian Ellis ’18, a financial services attorney fluent in both the complexities of financial regulation and the language of public service.
“I needed to do something more purpose-driven.”
Ellis’s path to law was anything but linear. In the years leading up to the 2008 financial crisis, Ellis was a college student and part-time loan officer witnessing questionable lending practices firsthand. He recalls seeing a bank client walk out with far more debt than they had initially requested—a circumstance Ellis compares to a car dealer getting someone into a car they couldn’t afford. “It never sat right with me,” he said.
Around the same time, Ellis’s mother lost their home under mounting financial pressure. Concerned that his mother might have been a target of predatory lending, he shifted focus. “I felt I needed to do something more purpose-driven,” said Ellis. “Growing up, I was always taught that whatever you do has to be intentional and purpose-driven, and that you must lead from the front.”
Motivated by this new sense of purpose, Ellis—who comes from a family of veterans—joined the U.S. Army Reserve. His military service placed him in a medical unit attached to civil affairs, where he worked alongside lawyers and paralegals whose influence steered him toward the law. In his law school application, Ellis made his ambitions clear: he wanted to work for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the very agency created in response to the crisis that shaped his worldview.
“NYLS felt like the family I needed.”
On the eve of his first NYLS campus visit, Ellis remembers driving from the airport, soaking in the bright lights of Manhattan’s skyline, and listening to “Empire State of Mind” on the radio. Within 24 hours, he knew he was where he belonged. “New York felt like the place I needed to be,” he says. “And NYLS felt like the family I needed to help me reach my goals. I felt it instantly.”
Choosing New York’s law school was easy, but settling into the big city wasn’t. During his first month as a 1L, Ellis was in the process of recovering a lost apartment deposit, staying with friends in the meantime. Disaster struck when a fire damaged one of the apartments he was staying in, destroying his laptop and all of his casebooks.
That’s when the NYLS community stepped in. Ellis’s mentor and former Black Law Students Association (BLSA) President, Sherbune Paul ’16, connected him with the Office of Student Life. The late Dean of Students, Emerita, Sally Harding, helped him secure a replacement laptop and books. That act of support stuck with him, inspiring him to create a lending library in the BLSA office when he later became President.
In addition to BLSA, Ellis was an active member of Moot Court Association, Dispute Resolution Team, and the Securities Arbitration Clinic at NYLS.
Ellis with his wife, Nicole, at NYLS's 126th Commencement Exercises.
Ellis and his mother at Commencement.
Ellis with his parents-in-law at Commencement.
Bridging Policy and Practice
Ellis credits Aisha Joseph from NYLS’s Career Development team for encouraging him to apply for the Excelsior Fellowship at the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) following graduation. There, he helped write guidance and promulgate rules related to cryptocurrency, cybersecurity, private student loan lending, and consumer reporting. His fellowship at the NYDFS eventually led him to the CFPB—his goalpost from day one. In what he calls a “key career milestone," Ellis contributed to the CFPB’s Small Business Lending Rule (Section 1071 of Dodd-Frank)—a law designed to improve transparency in lending practices for women-owned, minority-owned, and small businesses.
Today, as an Associate at Steptoe LLP, Ellis’s inside knowledge of regulatory agencies gives him a unique edge. His policy fluency helps him advise some of the world’s largest financial institutions, fast-growing fintechs, and other financial services providers. “My time at the CFPB gave me a keen understanding of how regulators operate and how they view the legal landscapes in which they operate. That insight allows me to guide clients through what really matters.” Ellis also brings lived experience to the table; his clients receive counsel from someone who has lived the impact of financial systems and understands how the law can either empower or destabilize communities.
Leading From the Front
Ellis’s commitment to leading from the front is more than theoretical. It now manifests in the classroom. In 2023, Ellis returned to NYLS as an adjunct professor, teaching the Washington, D.C. Honors Full-Time Specialized Externship.
“I teach students that leadership includes leading yourself and being in the driver's seat of your career,” Ellis said. “Know your goals and purposes, and let that guide you as you lead from the front. And let that also be the example you set for the teams you're a part of.”
Through teaching, Ellis sets the example, showing students that, with a purpose-driven mindset, anyone can chart their own path. He champions public service for young attorneys, emphasizing how experience in the public sector can elevate and expand a legal career.
“Teaching has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my professional life,” Ellis said. “It’s rewarding to help build up future attorneys at a time when it’s so important.”
Ellis and fellow graduating members of the NYLS BLSA chapter in 2018.
Ellis on his admission date.
Ellis with his wife, Nicole, and their two children.
Continuing the Mission
Today, Ellis is expanding his focus to include more traditional bank regulatory work, drawing from his experience at the NYDFS and CFPB. He continues to write about financial law, equity, and access, and has published work in Law360 and Lexology. In March 2025, Ellis co-authored a chapter in Banking Laws and Regulations 2025, published by Global Legal Insights.
Ellis’s journey—from witnessing financial collapse to helping shape the laws that prevent it—shows the strength of purpose-driven leadership. As he continues to advocate for transparency and access in financial systems, Ellis remains an example of how legal education, public service, and personal passion can come together to drive meaningful change.