Kristin Nealey Meier

Kristin is a compassionate, skilled attorney who sets herself apart by providing her clients with excellent communication, transparency and quick response time. Adept at fighting for her client’s best interests, Kristin has a “work together” attitude to meet their needs and expectations.

From established technology companies, to nursing home organizations, to emerging start-ups, Kristin enjoys working with businesses in a variety of industries.  She focuses her varied litigation practice in the following areas:

Financial Services, Insurance, and Securities Regulatory Enforcement Defense

Kristin represents investors, financial planners, wealth managers, insurance companies and other professionals in the financial services and insurance industries with various claims, including class actions, regulatory proceedings and customer claims. She also defends registered investment advisors, investment advisor representatives, investment bankers, broker-dealers and registered representatives in regulatory investigations and disciplinary actions brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, FINRA, and the State of Washington Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) Securities Division. Kristin’s representation of insurance companies has included cases defending against claims of bad faith and denial of benefits for a variety of policies, including life, annuities and long-term care policies.

Healthcare

Having defended healthcare clients in litigation, regulation, transactional, and employment issues, Kristin counsels her healthcare clients on how they can best protect themselves from the complexities of regulation in the industry. She also counsels her healthcare practitioner clients about business issues, including business formation, business practices, regulations for their practices, investment, and employee issues. Her long-term care, skilled nursing, and assisted living facility, medical device and surgery center clients seek her advice about minimum wage, unionization and other employment issues, medical malpractice claims, and regulatory charges. Kristin’s understanding of her client’s business, combined with her knowledge of the legal and regulatory framework every provider must navigate, enables her to provide clarity in the midst of an ever-changing healthcare world.

Employment Rights, Benefits & Labor

All employers must deal with the evolving web of federal and state employment laws. In addition to representing employers in state and federal court, Kristin defends clients in investigations by the EEOC, Department of Labor, and other state and local agencies. Kristin also works with companies on a wide array of employment matters, including hiring and termination, healthcare, wage and hour, discrimination and harassment, and retaliation. She assists clients in drafting employment agreements, severance packages, employee handbooks, employment policies and developing strategies for avoiding problems resulting in litigation.

Additional Experience

The remainder of Kristin’s practice includes assisting clients with complex litigation in the following areas:

• Executive and professional employment – helping business professionals and executives negotiate severance packages, negotiate non-compete and employment agreements and stock option agreements.
• Company and corporate liabilities – assisting with director and officer liability, contract and lease disputes, and lawsuits involving product liability, non-compete arrangements, unfair business practices and intellectual property.
• ERISA multi–employer plan withdrawal liability – assisting employers in navigating the complex ERISA regulations related to withdrawal from a multi-employer pension trust.
• Environmental contamination – helping clients assert and defend claims under MTCA and CERCLA for environmental contamination claims.
• Trademarks/Intellectual Property – represent clients in administrative and state and federal court proceedings to protect and enforce their rights to trademarks, trade secrets, and other intellectual property.

Kristin knows a legal issue has potential ramifications and she is adept at seeing around corners to avoid problems in helping decision-makers make choices that are in the best interests of all facets of an organization.

Professional and Community Activities

• Co-Chair, Ryan Swanson’s Litigation Group
• Member, Washington Technology Industry Association
• Member, LTC Risk Legal Forum
• Member, Washington Healthcare Association
• Member, Defense Research Institute
• Beta Gamma Sigma, Business Honor Society

Speaking Engagements

• Where you Work Matters: Legal Risks with your Hybrid and Remote Workforce, Ryan Swanson’s Annual Employment Law Virtual Seminar (2022)
• The Latest on COVID & Beyond: Future Workplace Considerations, Ryan Swanson’s Annual Employment Law Virtual Seminar (2020)
• Panelist, “Corona Around the World,” Dutch Employment Lawyers Association – LabourLaw United Digital Convention (February 2021)
• The Legal Fight: Get Ready for COVID-Related Legal and Regulatory Claims, Washington Health Care Association Webinar (2020)
• Your Future With & After COVID-19: What To Do Now and What To Expect, Ryan Swanson’s Employment Seminar (2020)
• ADA Compliance – What Do I Do?, Ryan Swanson’s Annual Employment Law Seminar (2019)
• Workplace Investigations (case study), Ryan Swanson’s Annual Employment Law Seminar (2018)
• Healthcare Reform – What is Happening?, Ryan Swanson’s Annual Employment Law Seminar (2017)
• Should I Stay or Should I Go? FMLA and Other Leave and Obligations (2016)
• Patient Protection and ACA: What’s Next?, Ryan Swanson’s Annual Employment Law Update (2013 -2016)