Sidley announced today that a group of 11 lawyers – ten partners and one counsel – will be joining the firm in multiple offices including New York and Washington, DC. The group is widely regarded as one of the most experienced and prominent securities enforcement and regulatory teams in the country.
“We are thrilled to bring this talented team of lawyers on board, each with extensive experience advising clients on some of today’s most complex securities enforcement and regulatory issues,” said Carter Phillips, co-chair of Sidley’s Executive Committee. “The collective wisdom they bring complements that of our existing team of accomplished lawyers in this field. We welcome our new colleagues to the firm.”
According to Neal Sullivan, who leads this practice, the group chose to join Sidley for a number of reasons.
“Sidley has all of the components we were looking for, including a strong international platform and client-focused approach,” said Mr. Sullivan. “They add to our ability to serve clients in our core practice and also have strong practices in complementary areas including securities and commercial litigation, white collar investigations and defense and accountants’ liability. It certainly was important to our decision that we felt comfortable that Sidley offered the best opportunity for practice growth. This, coupled with our respect for the many Sidley partners with whom we had previously worked, was what really helped us make the decision. We look forward to collaborating with our colleagues across the firm.”
Sidley’s SEC Enforcement practice, including former senior SEC enforcement lawyers Barry Rashkover, Paul Gerlach and Jose Sanchez, regularly defends clients in investigations, enforcement actions and litigation by the SEC, FINRA, and other regulators. This group works closely with the firm’s Securities & Futures Regulatory practice, led by partners James Brigagliano and David Katz, which represents major investment banks, broker-dealers, futures commission merchants, commercial banks, insurance companies, hedge fund complexes and exchanges.
“Barry and I have worked with Neal’s team over the years and have always been impressed with the strategic and thoughtful approach they bring to client matters,” said Mr. Gerlach. “They have a wealth of knowledge and experience in dealing with regulatory and enforcement issues for both corporate and financial institution clients and will be an excellent addition to our existing team.”
“Bringing in such a talented practice group is a strategic decision for us,” said Michael J. Schmidtberger, managing partner of Sidley’s New York office. “With this powerful combination of practices, we are enhancing the depth of our resources to serve the entire spectrum of our clients who deal with securities and regulatory enforcement issues, including investment banks, financial institutions, insurance companies, asset managers, and public and private companies in numerous industries.”
“Neal and his team are a great fit for Sidley,” said Mark Hopson, managing partner of Sidley’s Washington, D.C. office. “Many of us have had the opportunity to work with them over the years and we understood that this was an extraordinarily gifted and successful team of lawyers. Their addition to our existing enforcement and regulatory practices will present a true value added proposition for our clients. ”
The 11 lawyers joining Sidley are all currently with Bingham McCutchen LLP and, in alphabetical order, are:
Robert A. Buhlman – partner; Boston; securities regulatory and enforcement defense and counseling. Bob’s practice includes representing national and regional brokerage firms and mutual funds in a variety of matters including regulatory examinations, investigations and proceedings, private client arbitrations and litigations, and employment matters. He has also counseled major firms on regulatory reporting obligations in the securities industry.
W. Hardy Callcott – partner; San Francisco; regulatory counseling on securities issues and securities enforcement defense. Hardy brings a vast amount of experience in providing securities enforcement defense before the SEC, Department of Justice, FINRA, and other SRO and state regulators. He also provides regulatory counseling on securities market and regulatory issues to companies in the financial services industry.
Herbert F. Janick III – partner; Portland, Maine; securities regulatory and enforcement defense. Herb was previously general counsel of UBS Financial Services Inc. (formerly PaineWebber, Inc.) and as a senior member of the SEC’s Enforcement Division. He has a general securities and regulatory defense practice that includes conducting internal investigations and reviews, and representing broker-dealers, public companies and other financial service firms, among others, in connection with investigations by the SEC, FINRA and various other regulators.
Kenneth A. Kopelman – partner; New York; derivatives. Ken brings a deep experience counseling broker-dealers, banks, hedge funds, and other financial institutions. His practice covers a wide range of financial products and services.
Susan L. Merrill – partner; New York; securities enforcement. Susan is the former head of enforcement at FINRA. She joined FINRA from her position as enforcement chief at New York Stock Exchange Regulation when it merged with the NASD in 2007. Before she became a regulator, Susan was in private practice for 17 years. Susan regularly advises clients on regulatory enforcement matters and assists broker-dealers, investment advisers, financial institutions and Fortune 500 companies in internal investigations before the SEC and FINRA.
Gerard J. Russello – partner; New York; regulatory and enforcement inquiries. Gerald focuses his practice on the representation of financial institutions and other entities in connection with regulatory and enforcement by various federal and state regulatory bodies, including the SEC and FINRA. He is a former managing director in the legal department of Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc.
Nader H. Salehi – partner; New York; securities, regulatory and enforcement defense. Nader brings deep experience in representing broker-dealers, investment advisors, hedge funds and other financial service firms in connection with investigations by the SEC, FINRA, DOJ and other SROs and federal and state regulators. He previously spent two years as a staff attorney at the SEC’s Division of Enforcement.
Eric S. Seltzer – counsel; Portland; securities enforcement, litigation and compliance. Eric focuses his practice on the representation of broker-dealers, insurance and investment companies, public companies and public accounting firms in connection with internal investigations and examinations by federal and state regulators. He is also a frequent speaker on these issues on industry panels.
Neal Sullivan – partner; Washington, D.C.; securities regulatory, enforcement and counseling. Neal is the former practice group leader of Bingham’s broker-dealer group. He has a comprehensive securities regulatory practice with a focus on broker-dealer and investment advisor matters. He is one of the leading advisors to the securities industry on major compliance and regulatory matters. He will become a co-head of Sidley’s SEC regulatory and enforcement practices.
Corin R. Swift – partner; Portland; investigations and enforcement proceedings. Corin represents a wide range of clients in investigations and enforcement proceedings brought by FINRA, the SEC and state regulators. She is experienced in counseling broker-dealer and investment advisor clients on compliance issues, and in conducting internal reviews and investigations.
Michael D. Wolk – partner; Washington; compliance and enforcement matters. Mike has a particular focus on equity and fixed income trading, marketplace and conduct rules and their application to broker-dealers, associated persons and investment advisors. He routinely counsels clients on regulatory and compliance issues and is a recognized authority and sought-after speaker on the rules governing equity trading.
In bringing this team to the firm, Sidley will establish offices in Boston and Portland, Maine. The start dates for the lawyers joining Sidley have not yet been finalized.
