“I am delighted to return to private practice at Simpson Thacher,” said Steve. “It is an outstanding firm with which I have worked closely for many years. I look forward to partnering with wonderful colleagues and advising clients on some of their most important matters.”
Steve joined JPMorgan in 2007 and served as General Counsel and head of the company’s Legal and Compliance activities worldwide throughout the global financial crisis. As General Counsel, he was also on JPMorgan’s Operating Committee and reported directly to the Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon. In January 2016, he became a Vice Chairman of the firm.
Paul Curnin, Co-Head of the Firm’s Litigation Department, said, “Steve’s experience is exceptional. I don’t know of any other lawyer who helped lead one of the country’s preeminent institutions through the financial crisis and also served as the SEC’s Director of Enforcement during a period of some of the agency’s most historic cases, including WorldCom and Enron.” Jon Youngwood, Co-Head of the Firm’s Litigation Department, added, “Steve will join a Department with a long roster of experienced former government attorneys and tested trial lawyers. We all look forward to working with him to address and solve the critical legal challenges that our clients face.”
Steve served as Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement from 2001 to 2005 (and the Deputy Director from 1999 to 2001). While at the SEC, he oversaw 1,100 employees and led the agency’s investigations of numerous high-profile financial reporting, broker-dealer and investment advisor matters. Both before and immediately following his tenure at the SEC, Steve was a partner at the law firm WilmerHale in Washington, D.C., where his practice focused on government and internal investigations and market regulation.
Steve earned a J.D. from Yale Law School, where he served as an editor of the Yale Law Journal, and a B.A., summa cum laude, from Yale University.
Simpson Thacher’s Global Litigation Department represents a wide range of sophisticated clients, including financial institutions, corporations, boards, audit and special committees, and senior executives, in their most significant matters. The Firm offers a substantial bench of talent to effectively handle litigations, government and internal investigations, arbitrations and cross-border disputes in North and South America, Asia and Europe.
ABOUT SIMPSON THACHER & BARTLETT LLP
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP (www.simpsonthacher.com) is one of the world’s leading international law firms. The Firm was established in 1884 and has more than 900 lawyers. Headquartered in New York with offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Palo Alto, São Paulo, Seoul, Tokyo and Washington, D.C., the Firm provides coordinated legal advice and transactional capability to clients around the globe.