SEC Tenure: 1995-2009. With formidable intellect, inestimable good cheer, and unshakable judgment, Linda Chatman Thomsen started as an SEC trial lawyer and went on to make history as the first woman to serve as Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. Before joining the SEC, Linda worked in private practice at Davis Polk in Washington, D.C. and New York, andalso served as an Assistant US Attorney for the District of Maryland. When she left the SEC, Linda returned to Davis Polk as a partner, where she built a thriving SEC defense practice.
Deeply grounded in the SEC’s history yet relentlessly forward-looking, Linda’s no-nonsense approach to problem-solving elevated everyone around her and exemplified what it means to be a securities enforcement lawyer at the highest levels of excellence.