Henry Meier, the former longtime counsel and lobbyist for the New York Credit Union Association, has launched a new firm — the eponymous Law Office of Henry C. Meier, Esq. — dedicated to helping financial institutions take a holistic approach to meeting their legal, regulatory, legislative and operational responsibilities.
“Credit unions have traditionally taken a very siloed approach to their legal and regulatory initiatives. They have a compliance team, a lobbying team and perhaps a lawyer, each dealing with their own issues,” said Meier, who in his 16 years at NYCUA served in roles that included director of compliance, general counsel and lobbyist for the trade association. “Today these distinctions are increasingly meaningless, particularly with the financial services framework changing so quickly.”
As an example, he added: “The same people who can now use Alexa to have their groceries delivered are going to expect their financial institution to allow them to transfer funds between accounts using these same devices. To effectively adopt such a system, the director of IT, director of compliance and counsel all must be aware of the associated challenges and opportunities. My firm brings not just a passion for credit unions, but also the skillset and expertise to coordinate all these functions in a way that can position credit unions for continued growth.”
In addition to providing traditional legal services such as contract and policy reviews, Meier’s firm will be providing additional consultation services through a legal lens. His services will also include weekly updates on legal and regulatory developments for which credit unions should be preparing.
“Senior executives often view legal and compliance services as a burdensome expense; however, a well-functioning legal and compliance team helps credit unions grow by helping them avoid pitfalls and prepare cost-effectively for new mandates,” said Meier. “My goal is to share the knowledge and experience that I’ve gained over these more than twenty years in the industry to keep credit unions and other financial institutions ahead of the curve.”
Meier most recently served as general counsel and senior vice president of the New York Credit Union Association, where he authored the popular “New York’s State of Mind” blog. Prior to his time at NYCUA, Meier served as a counsel to the New York State Assembly Republican Conference on banking issues.
He graduated from American University and Hofstra Law School. For more information, visit https://henrymeieresq.com or call (518) 223-5126.