SEC Enforcement Partners Join Paul Hastings

Paul Hastings is pleased to announce that former SEC enforcement attorneys Thomas Zaccaro and Nicolas Morgan have joined the firm as partners in the Investigations and White Collar Defense practice, based in our Los Angeles office. They and their team join from Zaccaro Morgan LLP, a boutique firm that they co-founded in 2015, which focused on SEC and other government investigations and defense, white collar criminal defense, corporate investigations, and high-stakes complex civil litigation. Both Thomas and Nicolas held senior trial counsel positions in the SEC’s Los Angeles office.

Their arrival continues the growth of our Investigations and White Collar Defense practice, following the addition of a high-profile team in Washington, D.C. that includes Robert Luskin, Kwame Manley, John S. (Jay) Darden, and Jamie Gardner.

Thomas Zaccaro focuses his practice on complex litigation in state and federal courts with a special emphasis on defending corporations and executives in government investigations, and other criminal and regulatory proceedings. His representations also include general securities litigation, class actions, and shareholder derivative suits. Prior to co-founding Zaccaro Morgan LLP, he was a longtime partner at Paul Hastings. He has an extremely successful track record defending the interests of corporations, corporate officers and directors, business owners, and individuals in government investigations and criminal and regulatory proceedings. Thomas served as the Chief Trial Counsel of the SEC’s Los Angeles Regional Office from 2000 to 2003 and as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 1988 to 1994.

Nicolas Morgan focuses his practice on complex litigation in state and federal courts and representations involving government investigations and white-collar crime allegations levied against individuals and businesses. He represents securities issuers, company officers and directors, investment funds, analysts, and brokers in connection with SEC and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) investigations, litigation, and arbitration. He also counsels public companies, funds, and broker-dealers on securities compliance and corporate governance, conducts internal investigations, and assists in regulatory examinations initiated by the SEC’s Division of Corporate Finance and Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations. From 1998 to 2005, Nicolas was an Attorney in the SEC’s Enforcement Division, rising from Staff Attorney to Branch Chief to Senior Trial Counsel in the Los Angeles Regional Office.

Also joining the firm from Zaccaro Morgan LLP are of counsel Sam Puathasnanon and associates Peter Brejcha, Jenifer Q. Doan, and Kyle Jones.