Former U.S. Central Bridge FCU General Counsel and President/CEOFrancois Henriquez joined the Miami-based Shutts & Bowen LLP,the law firm announced Monday in a release. Henriquez will relocatefrom Kansas City to Miami to work in the Financial ServicesIndustry Practice Group, practicing primarily in the section'sCredit Union Law Group.

“This is a significant addition to our firm; François has atop-notch national financial reputation and has had extensiveexperience in dealing with the nation’s senior financial industryregulators,” said Bowman Brown, chairman of Shutts & Bowen’sExecutive Committee and the firm’s Financial Services PracticeGroup. “François adds depth to our group and broadens our nationalfootprint.”

Henriquez took over as Interim CEO of U.S. Central afterpost-conservatorship CEO Jim Nance was fired by the NCUA in Sept. 2009 after just six months. He wasnamed to the permanent wind-down post and assisted the NCUA in operating the top-tier corporate as itwound down the services it provided to pass-through and othercorporates. U.S. Central closed Oct. 29.

“François’ work at the national corporate credit union levelcomplements our nationwide practice serving retail credit unionsperfectly,” said Michael Lozoff, chair of Shutts & Bowen’sCredit Union Law Group. “He enjoys the highest respect in theindustry both as a corporate lawyer and as a financial institutionssenior executive.”

Henriquez joined U.S. Central in November 1993 and served assenior vice president and general counsel. Before U.S. Central,Henriquez was engaged in private legal practice, first as anassociate with a major law firm in New York City, and then as anassociate and partner in two prominent Kansas City, Missouri-basedlaw firms. He is a past board secretary of the National CreditUnion Foundation and previously served as the vice chairman of thelegislative and regulatory affairs committee of the Association ofCorporate Credit Unions (ACCU). Henriquez received his J.D. fromColumbia University Law School and his B.A. from Yale University.–[email protected]