Transaction Trends

Nicole Meisner started her legal career working on cases involving violations of the Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering laws. Meisner, an attorney from Florida and one of ETA’s 2018 Young Payments Professionals Scholars, had a focused interest on the legal complexities of the financial services sector.

It did not take long for the payments industry, and the complex regulatory and legal landscape in which it transacts, to catch her attention, Meisner says.

“Once I discovered the world of payments, I set off to chart my career path in this industry,” Meisner told Transaction Trends.

Education was the conduit through which she sought a career path in payments law. She pursued her MBA in Financial Services while she practiced law full-time, she says, in order to develop her knowledge of business operations and challenges. She also earned a non-legal credential as a Certified Financial Crimes Specialist.

The hard work in the class room paid off. Meisner works for Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss in their highly specialized Electronic Payments and Card Processing Practice Group. Practicing under the leadership of past ETA President Holli Targan, Meisner’s work at Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss touches a variety of complex payments and emerging fintech subjects.

“The thing I love most about practicing law in the payments industry is that each day presents a new set of exciting issues and challenges to solve,” Meisner says. “I love finding solutions to issues and helping clients achieve their business goals while helping them navigate the complex regulatory scheme.”

From negotiating agreements for ISOs and payment facilitators, to advising her clients on regulatory matters and payment network rules, Meisner says she enjoys the intricacies and diversity of her practice group at the Michigan-based law firm. She sees the entrance of new technology firms as a new frontier for her work in the world of payments law.

“Non-traditional payment players are vying to provide payments solutions to merchants and consumers as a feature of their software, internet, or mobile platform,” Meisner says of the industry trend that has captured her interest. “These companies didn’t set out to be payments companies, but their platforms facilitate the business operations of certain merchant verticals, so providing a direct payments feature seems like the natural next step.  As a result, these companies are venturing into the payments industry—many for the first time—and are addressing the regulatory impacts head-on.”

Meisner says that she is most inspired and motivated by the areas of the law and regulatory environment that have not caught up to the rapid pace of innovation in the payments technology industry. With payments companies deploying new technologies, introducing new partnerships into the market and exploring novel technologies like blockchain, Meisner says she is always emphasizing a proactive approach.

“Companies must be nimble and open to embracing emerging technologies and the constantly evolving demands of merchants and consumers in order to stay ahead of the curve.   At the same time, it is critical to stay up-to-date on the ever-changing regulations impacting the industry,” Meisner says. “An ounce of prevention by taking a proactive approach is worth a pound of cure.”

Meisner is the first practicing payments law attorney to be recognized as an ETA Young Payments Professional Scholar, an honors program sponsored by Discover.

YPP Spotlight Features is an editorial feature that highlights ETA’s Young Payments Professionals (YPP) Scholars to emphasize thought-leadership, storytelling and payments news. The 2018 ETA YPP Scholars represent the finest young minds across the payments technology ecosystem. You can read more about the program, which is sponsored by Discover Global Network, here.