Fridman Fels & Soto, PLLC, a white-collar criminal defense and litigation law firm, announced today that Eric I. Bustillo, former Director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Miami Regional Office, has joined the firm as partner. Bustillo will represent companies and individuals in SEC enforcement actions and investigations, securities litigation, SEC whistleblower, and white-collar criminal defense matters. Source: Former…
he Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) today announced that George Kostolampros has been appointed the PCAOB’s General Counsel. As General Counsel, Mr. Kostolampros will provide legal advice and counsel on all PCAOB operations and will manage the Office of the General Counsel (OGC). “OGC’s work underpins the PCAOB’s ability to execute its mission to protect investors,” said PCAOB Chairman…
Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright today announced that Christian Schultz, who previously served as Assistant Chief Litigation Counsel in the Division of Enforcement of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a decade, has joined the firm in Washington, DC as a partner. His arrival enhances the firm’s regulatory, investigations, securities and compliance offering as clients encounter an increasingly…
Sher Tremonte LLP announced today that Tami Stark has joined the firm as a partner in its New York office, further strengthening the firm’s capabilities in securities litigation, regulatory enforcement matters, and complex white collar investigations.
Stark focuses her practice on representing companies and individuals facing white collar criminal and regulatory investigations, with a particular emphasis on matters involving the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). She spent more than eight years in the SEC’s Enforcement Division, where she served as an Assistant Regional Director leading investigations and enforcement actions.
WilmerHale today is pleased to announce the addition of Jason Burt, former Deputy Director of the Enforcement Division at the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), as partner in the Securities and Financial Services (SFS) Department and a member of the Securities Litigation and Enforcement Group. Based in the firm’s Denver office, Jason will leverage his extensive government experience to guide clients through bet-the-company matters involving securities compliance, investigations, and litigation, and provide strategic regulatory counsel.
The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that David Woodcock has been appointed Director of the Division of Enforcement, effective May 4, 2026. Mr. Woodcock is currently a partner in the Dallas and Washington, D.C. offices of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, where he serves as chair of the firm’s Securities Enforcement Practice Group. Sam Waldon will continue to serve as Acting Director of the Enforcement Division until May 4.
“The Division of Enforcement has undergone a significant course correction, restoring Congressional intent by prioritizing cases that provide meaningful investor protection and strengthen market integrity,” said SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins. “I thank Sam for his steadfast commitment to serve in key senior roles at the SEC and am grateful for his wise counsel and leadership.”
Chairman Atkins continued, “I am incredibly pleased to have David rejoin the SEC at this critical time, as we continue to focus on the types of misconduct that inflict the greatest harm to investors. With experience as a senior officer at the SEC, global law firm partner, a certified public accountant, and senior in-house corporate attorney, David is a foremost expert in all relevant facets of securities law and has deep institutional knowledge. I look forward to him leading our 1,000+ team of talented enforcement investigators, trial attorneys, accountants, and other professionals.”
Source: SEC Appoints David Woodcock as Director of the Division of Enforcement
Last week, I wrote two posts that, taken together, may have seemed far-fetched. In the first, I described SEC enforcement staff being sidelined in their own settlement discussions. In the second, I argued that something was deeply wrong at the SEC, that Margaret Ryan’s abrupt departure had the unmistakable smell of something rotten, and that the official explanation was fiction dressed up as a press release.
It all sounded implausible. It wasn’t.
Reuters has now confirmed what many of us suspected: Margaret Ryan didn’t just quietly resign. She clashed, repeatedly and directly, with Chair Atkins over cases with ties to President Trump, including Justin Sun and Elon Musk. She wanted to pursue fraud. She was told, in effect, not to.
The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Judge Margaret A. Ryan has resigned from her role as Director of the Division of Enforcement. Principal Deputy Director Sam Waldon has been named Acting Director of the Division, effective March 16, 2026. […]
During her tenure, Judge Ryan oversaw a critical course correction within the division – returning its focus to prioritizing cases that provide meaningful investor protection and strengthen market integrity rather than technical rule violations with no charges alleging investor harm. She redirected the division staff toward the types of misconduct that inflict the greatest harm, such as fraud, market manipulation, and abuses of trust, and away from approaches that prioritized touting volume over impact. This also includes a renewed focus on holding individual wrongdoers accountable, which promotes stronger deterrence and better safeguards investors.
The Commission is expected to announce a permanent successor as Enforcement Division Director in the coming weeks.
Source: SEC Announces Enforcement Division Director Judge Margaret A. Ryan Has Resigned From Agency
McGuireWoods is building on its industry-leading securities enforcement and regulatory counseling capabilities with the arrival of Gary Leung, former regional director of the SEC’s Los Angeles office, and Jodi Lopez, a nationally recognized accountant and auditor defense attorney. The new partners join McGuireWoods’ Los Angeles office, continuing the firm’s West Coast expansion.
King & Spalding announced today that J. Emmett Murphy has rejoined the firm as a partner in the Business Litigation practice group. He is based in the New York office.
Murphy’s practice focuses on professional liability litigation and regulatory matters, securities class actions, and complex commercial disputes, with a particular focus on financial reporting and accounting matters. He is a seasoned litigator, having tried cases in federal and state courts and in both domestic and international arbitrations, and has argued appeals before both federal and state appellate courts. He rejoins the firm from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), where since 2023 he served as a Senior Trial Attorney in the Division of Enforcement.
Source: SEC Senior Trial Attorney Emmett Murphy Rejoins King & Spalding in New York – King & Spalding