Ghillaine A. Reid, a former branch chief for the Securities and Exchange Commission, has joined McGuireWoods’ Government Investigations and White Collar Litigation Department as a partner and co-head of the financial institutions industry team’s broker-dealer practice.
An accomplished enforcement defense lawyer, Reid represents corporations and individuals in investigations conducted by the SEC, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and other government agencies. She has handled numerous high-profile SEC investigations and enforcement proceedings involving insider trading, accounting fraud and sales practice violations, as well as complex financial services and commercial litigation. She also has successfully defended clients in large-scale arbitration proceedings, both through FINRA and the American Arbitration Association.
Reid previously served as a branch chief in the enforcement division of the SEC’s New York regional office and an agency staff attorney for three years before that. In those roles, she investigated and litigated a wide range of securities enforcement matters. Reid comes to McGuireWoods from the New York office of Schoeman Updike & Kaufman.
Reid’s arrival comes on the heels of recent additions to the firm’s white collar practice of New York partners William E. Goydan, John Lukanski and Kiran Somashekara, who also focus on SEC and FINRA enforcement matters. Goydan will co-lead the broker-dealer practice with Reid.
“Ghillaine is an important addition for us as we continue the strategic expansion of our capabilities for financial services clients, particularly in the areas of securities litigation and regulatory enforcement,” said Noreen Kelly, managing partner of McGuireWoods’ New York office and chair of the financial institutions industry team. “Ghillaine and Bill Goydan will be outstanding leaders of our growing broker-dealer practice.”
“It’s rare to find lawyers with the ideal mix of top-level government service and private practice experience that Ghillaine brings to McGuireWoods,” said John Adams, chair of the firm’s Government Investigations and White Collar Litigation Department. “Our clients will benefit immensely from her deep experience in government investigations and enforcement proceedings.”
“McGuireWoods is known for its elite investigations practice and for its extensive capabilities to serve financial sector clients,” Reid said. “I’m excited to be part of the firm’s growth in New York and look forward to collaborating with the exceptional litigators here and across the country.”
Respected, independent authorities have repeatedly recognized McGuireWoods for its litigation capabilities. It was among a select group of firms recognized for outstanding domestic and international litigation in Law360’s inaugural “Litigation Powerhouse” rankings. The firm also was among the world’s top 40 investigations firms in 2015’s GIR 100, a guide to leading cross-border investigations practices based on independent research by Global Investigations Review. McGuireWoods is one of only two firms recognized in all eight practice areas in the 2016 BTI “Litigation Outlook” report and, for the 10th time, the firm ranked among BTI’s “Client Service 30” list of elite law firms serving Fortune 1000 companies, published in BTI’s 2016 “Client Service A-Team” report.
Source: www.mcguirewoods.com
