Former senior advisor to the House Financial Services Committee Chairman
Washington, D.C. (Nov 17, 2014) - Venable LLP has announced that Daris Meeks will join the firm’s Legislative and Financial Services practices as a partner in the firm’s Washington, DC office effective November 17. Mr. Meeks will advise clients on complex legislative issues impacting the financial services industry. Mr. Meeks was previously at Squire Patton Boggs.
As a former senior advisor to House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), Mr. Meeks is recognized for his knowledge of financial services policy and his thorough understanding of Congressional procedures and the lawmaking process. He served as the principal policy advisor to Chairman Hensarling during his tenures as Chairman of the House Republican Conference and Vice Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. Mr. Meeks also is recognized for his knowledge of housing finance policy, having been appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as counsel to the chairman of the Federal Housing Finance Board. In addition, he began his government service as committee counsel to the Senate Banking Committee, where he assisted the committee’s ranking member, Sen. Phil Gramm (R-TX), on issues ranging from the Fair Credit Reporting Act to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act.
Mr. Meeks joins a bipartisan group of senior legislative advisors which includes former members of Congress, congressional staff, Cabinet members and senior agency officials.
“With Daris Meeks’ arrival, Venable continues to strengthen its ability to advise clients on financial services issues and legislation” said Rob Smith, co-chair of the firm’s legislative practice. “He joins Andrew Olmem, the former Republican Chief Counsel at the Senate Banking Committee, who joined the firm last year, to give Venable unique capabilities on financial services policy.”
Venable’s financial services group includes other several recent additions, including Allyson Baker, a former Enforcement Attorney with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and Michael Rivera, who served as the Chief Investigative Counsel for the Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP). They join the rest of Venable’s top-rated financial services team, including Ron Glancz, the chair of the practice, who is nationally-recognized for his work in bank enforcement defense; John Bowman, who served as Acting Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision; John Beaty, who advises financial institutions on strategic opportunities and transactions; and Ralph Sharpe, who served for 26 years with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in a variety of senior positions.
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