Former Securities and Exchange Commission attorney Michael F. Johnson has joined Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP’s Corporate, Securities, and Tax Group based in the Greenville office and is an of counsel to the Firm. A former attorney in the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance, Mr. Johnson will counsel Nelson Mullins’ corporate clients on compliance with securities regulations, including the Securities Act of 1933, Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. His practice encompasses public and private finance, corporate contracts, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, securities compliance and regulation, and management and shareholder matters.
Mr. Johnson joined the SEC in 2007 in the face of the financial crisis and participated at a time of historical change in the markets and regulatory landscape. His former division oversees the disclosures made to investors by more than 9,000 public issuers, including registration statements for newly offered securities, materials distributed in connection with mergers and acquisitions, annual and quarterly filings, and proxy materials sent to shareholders for annual or special meetings. The division also provides interpretive assistance to companies and investors with respect to their obligations under the federal securities laws and develops rulemaking recommendations for the Commission.
“Mike is well positioned to help us handle any issues that may arise with our clients’ SEC filings and securities offerings,” said Nelson Mullins partner Neil Grayson, who heads the Greenville Corporate, Securities, and Tax Group. “He joins our established, experienced team that includes our attorneys who have formerly practiced in larger financial centers such as New York and Chicago as well as in-house in public companies, and he will be available to all our clients across all our practice areas.” Mr. Johnson will serve as a nice complement to Juan Marcelino, who joined the Boston office earlier this year after serving as the district administrator in the SEC’s Boston office, where he supervised the 125-person office and oversaw the investigation and enforcement of violations of securities statutes and regulations, Mr. Grayson said.
Mr. Johnson also has previous experience in the corporate department of a West Coast law firm and served a clerkship with The Honorable Richard J. Thorpe, Superior Court of Washington. Mr. Johnson’s corporate experience includes advising management in connection with corporate governance issues, strategic planning, acquisitions, and national securities exchange rules, and executive and non-executive equity compensation arrangements. He has advised start-up and technology clients regarding corporate contracts, public and private equity offerings under the Securities Act of 1933, and reporting obligations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
