Katherine Neer, Esq
Of Counsel
Katharine Neer assists clients on New York state regulatory and legislative issues. Katie primarily focuses on regulatory compliance issues for heavily regulated industries, including cannabis, gaming, and financial services.
Prior to private practice, Katie served as Assistant Secretary for General Government and Financial Services in the New York State Governor’s Office. At the Governor’s office, Katie was a member of the state operations team overseeing policy and operations for six agencies: the Department of Financial Services (DFS); the State Insurance Fund; the Department of State; the Department of Tax and Finance; the Office of General Services; and the Gaming Commission. During her time in the Governor’s Office, Katie was responsible for negotiating and overseeing the implementation of several key policy initiatives, including Paid Family Leave, Ride-Share, and the DFS’s cybersecurity regulations.
Katie also gained in-house experience in the cannabis industry, working as the Director of Government Affairs for a multi-state-operator and Chair of the New York Medical Cannabis Industry Association. In those roles, she gained a specialized understanding of the challenges facing cannabis operators in several states, including New York, where policymakers recently enacted legislation to legalize and regulate cannabis for adult-use.
Katie was listed as an attorney on The Best Lawyers in America, “Ones to Watch,” List for Administrative and Regulatory law in 2021. In 2018, she was profiled as an Albany 40 Under 40 Rising Star. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood.
A member of the New York State Bar, she received her J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law, her M.P.A. from Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, and her B.A. in political science from SUNY Albany, where she earned the 2009 SUNY Chancellor’s Award of Excellence and played Division I Lacrosse.