The Institute’s Inaugural Advisory Board Is Composed of National Leaders in Financial Services Who Will Help Shape Best-in-Class Programming for Students and Practitioners
New York, NY (May 21, 2021) – New York Law School (NYLS) Dean Anthony W. Crowell today announced the launch of the Ronald H. Filler Institute for Financial Services Law.
The Filler Institute is named in honor of distinguished Professor Emeritus Ronald H. Filler, a global leader in the financial services industry. The Institute will provide cutting-edge educational programming, Continuing Legal Education (CLE) panels, and speaker forums for students and practitioners that respond to emerging challenges in securities, derivatives, banking, and insurance laws and regulations.
“New York Law School has an exceptional record of placing graduates in the financial services sector, and we thank Professor Filler for building that foundation,” said Anthony W. Crowell, NYLS Dean and President. “By launching this Institute, we not only honor Professor Filler. We also deepen our commitment to New York’s vital financial services sector, as our city and state begin to recover from the pandemic.”
“Financial services markets are more complex and interconnected than ever before, and financial services attorneys must be equipped to handle these challenges,” said Professor Emeritus Ronald H. Filler. “The Filler Institute at New York Law School will help students and practitioners excel in this exciting and evolving field while growing their professional networks.”
The Filler Institute will provide opportunities for students to gain expertise in financial services, while garnering hands-on skills regarding transactions, finance, agreement negotiation, and structure. Through the Institute, NYLS will expand financial services externship opportunities; add a specialized financial services concentration to the curriculum; develop timely master classes, CLEs, and specialty programs with top industry leaders; and collaborate on creative initiatives with NYLS’s other business law programs. The Institute’s growing course offerings will concentrate on asset management, banking, capital markets, and international regulation.
The Filler Institute is housed within NYLS’s Center for Business and Financial Law, and its work will be aligned with the Center’s other successful initiatives. NYLS has consistently been ranked as a “Top Law School” for business law by National Jurist.
Professor Howard Meyers will serve as the Institute’s Director. He is also Director of the Center for Business and Financial Law. In his 17 years at NYLS, he has taught an array of business and financial services courses, including NYLS’s Securities Arbitration Clinic.
“I look forward to working with Professor Filler and the Institute’s Advisory Board to expand our financial services curriculum and develop additional professional pathways for our students,” said Professor Meyers. “The Filler Institute complements NYLS’s other exceptional business law offerings and, together with our location in the heart of New York City’s Financial District, strengthens our position as a leader in this space.”
The Institute’s inaugural Advisory Board is composed of national leaders in the financial services industry who will make recommendations on programming and support students’ professional development. While other governmental and industry leaders will be announced soon, as of April 2021, the Advisory Board includes these members:
- Ronald Filler (Chair), Professor Emeritus, NYLS
- Robert Colby, Chief Legal Officer, FINRA
- Eileen Flaherty, Managing Director, The Global Capital Group
- David Goone, Chief Strategy Officer, Intercontinental Exchange
- Steven Lofchie, Partner, Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft
- Hon. Scott O’Malia, Chief Executive Officer, International Swaps and Derivatives Association
- Ananda Radhakrishnan, Vice President of Bank Derivatives Policy, American Bankers Association
- Thomas Sexton, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Futures Association
- Hon. Jill Sommers, Senior Advisor, Patomak Global Partners
“Professor Filler has long inspired his students to work in our nation’s financial system to better serve investors and issuers,” said Robert Colby, Chief Legal Officer of FINRA. “He also has zealously advocated for his students so they can show their mettle. The Filler Institute extends Professor Filler’s mission by further preparing New York Law School’s students for this noble purpose.”
“I am delighted to be part of the Advisory Board for the Ronald H. Filler Institute for Financial Services Law,” said Eileen Flaherty, Managing Director of The Global Capital Group. “Professor Filler is a true leader in the financial and academic worlds. He has inspired many, including me, to pursue a career in the financial services sector. He continues to be a colleague, mentor, and friend to many.”
“I’m pleased to be able to contribute to the Ronald H. Filler Institute as well as to New York Law School’s 2020 Strategic Plan focused on evolving the practice of financial services law,” said Hon. Scott O’Malia, Chief Executive Officer of the International Swaps and Derivatives Association.
“I am very pleased to be asked to serve on the Advisory Institute of the Filler Institute at New York Law School,” said Ananda Radhakrishnan, Vice President of Bank Derivatives Policy at the American Bankers Association. “It is a fitting tribute to the invaluable contributions of Professor Ron Filler in the fields of derivatives and securities law.”
“I am constantly struck by Professor Filler’s strong dedication to his students, who have become national leaders in financial services law and business within global financial institutions,” said Thomas Sexton, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Futures Association. “Long after these students graduate, he has continued to mentor, guide, and provide them with advice as they navigate their careers and the financial services industry. I look forward to serving on the Advisory Board to exponentially expand Professor Filler’s commitment to diverse students and young professionals and help educate and cultivate them as the next generation of leaders in our industry.”
“Congratulations to New York Law School and Professor Emeritus Ron Filler on the creation of The Filler Institute,” said Hon. Jill Sommers, Senior Advisor at Patomak Global Partners. “I have had the pleasure of working with Professor Filer in the derivatives industry for many years, and understand the passion and dedication he has for this endeavor. I admire all of his accomplishments as Founding Director of the Financial Services Law Institute and am excited to be a part of the future of this program.”
The Filler Institute is a signature initiative of NYLS’s 2020 Strategic Plan: Ever Upward. It fulfills key commitments made in the Plan, including growing each academic center’s network of successful practitioners to expand professional opportunities for students.
About Professor Emeritus Ronald H. Filler
Ronald H. Filler is Professor Emeritus at NYLS. He is among the most highly regarded experts in the financial services industry and is known as the “dean” of the futures markets. His influential work has informed the development of laws and policies at the federal level.
At NYLS, Professor Filler was the Founding Director of the Financial Services Law Institute and one of the faculty’s most prominent members. He established NYLS’s financial services law program as a top program for thought leadership and a pivotal resource to the financial services industry. By providing financial services law externships, he enabled NYLS to be a top feeder school into the industry, where a diverse group of the School’s graduates now lead successful careers.
Professor Filler joined NYLS in 2008 after having served as a Managing Director in the Capital Markets Prime Services Department at Lehman Brothers. Before joining Lehman Brothers, he was a partner and member of the Executive Committee of Vedder Price, a large Chicago-based law firm.
Professor Filler is an Independent Public Director of the National Futures Association, the industry’s self-regulatory organization, and SwapEx, a swaps execution facility, and has served on several Regulatory Oversight Committees. Professor Filler also once served as the Chair of the Global Markets Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the federal regulatory agency that oversees the derivatives markets. He has spoken at several hundred conferences and seminars involving various financial regulatory issues and has written extensively on various topics involving this industry. Learn more about Professor Filler.