Steven Peikin Rejoining Sullivan & Cromwell

NEW YORK –  Sullivan & Cromwell LLP announced today that Steven Peikin, most recently Co-Director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Division of Enforcement, will return to the firm, effective November 2, 2020.

“We are delighted Steve will be rejoining us,” said Joseph C. Shenker, Chair of Sullivan & Cromwell.  “Steve’s contributions to S&C in the past were very significant, and the addition of his SEC experience to his prior experience here and, prior to that, as Chief of the SDNY’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force, will allow him to provide invaluable advice to our clients.”

“Steve’s many accomplishments at the SEC bespeak his long commitment to public service, his leadership skills, and his technical expertise.  We could not be more happy to welcome him back,” said Sharon L. Nelles, Managing Partner of S&C’s Litigation Practice.

At Sullivan & Cromwell, Mr. Peikin will head the firm’s Securities and Commodities Investigations and Enforcement Practice, leading a team that draws on the experience of the firm’s former federal and state prosecutors and regulators, as well as its other skilled practitioners.  He will also resume his successful work counseling U.S. and foreign institutions in connection with a wide range of criminal and regulatory inquiries.  While previously at Sullivan & Cromwell, Mr. Peikin led the firm’s Criminal Defense and Investigations Group, advising institutions and individuals in virtually every major enforcement initiative, including investigations and prosecutions relating to LIBOR and other benchmark interest rate matters, insider trading and market manipulation, accounting and disclosure matters, spoofing and commodities fraud, enforcement of economic sanctions and anti-money laundering laws, and compliance with the FCPA.

“I am excited to rejoin Sullivan & Cromwell and again be part of its world-class enforcement and criminal defense practices,” said Mr. Peikin.  “It was an honor to serve as Co-Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, and I look forward to drawing on that experience to assist the firm’s stellar roster of clients in conducting internal investigations and responding to all manner of regulatory enforcement and criminal matters.”

During his three-year tenure at the SEC, Mr. Peikin had overall responsibility for the SEC’s national enforcement program, comprising more than 1,400 lawyers, accountants and staff in 12 offices around the country.  He was responsible for executing the Commission’s enforcement priorities, including responding to emerging risks presented by cyber threats, developing an enforcement approach to initial coin offerings and other digital assets, and focusing on protecting the long-term interests of the nation’s retail investors.  Mr. Peikin had oversight of thousands of investigations and litigations, which spanned the broad landscape of the federal securities laws.  He coordinated the SEC’s enforcement activities with the Department of Justice, CFTC and numerous foreign securities regulators.  During his tenure, the SEC brought some 2,500 enforcement actions against entities and individuals, ordered approximately $14 billion in financial remedies, and returned over $3 billion to harmed investors.

Before joining Sullivan & Cromwell, Mr. Peikin served for eight years in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, including as Chief of the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force.  He clerked for the Honorable J. Edward Lumbard of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and for the Honorable Robert P. Patterson, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.  Mr. Peikin is a graduate of Yale College and Harvard Law School, both magna cum laude.

About Sullivan & Cromwell’s Securities and Commodities Investigations and Enforcement Practice

The firm’s Securities and Commodities Investigations and Enforcement lawyers have a deep understanding of markets and complex trading and financial products.  They regularly represent clients in investigations and enforcement actions by the SEC, CFTC, FINRA, the National Futures Association and other federal, state, and non-U.S. regulators and self-regulatory organizations.  These matters include those involving alleged accounting and disclosure issues, insider trading, market manipulation, spoofing, the FCPA and issues relating to digital assets. Clients facing securities and commodities investigations turn to the firm for its record of obtaining favorable outcomes in high-stakes matters.  In recent years, the firm has successfully played a leading role in handling industry investigations into LIBOR, FX and other benchmark interest rates, navigated clients through large-scale spoofing investigations, and successfully resolved large-scale FCPA matters.

The Practice has extensive experience guiding companies and their senior executives through multifaceted, enterprise-level crises that demand a combination of rapid reaction and strategic thinking.  The Practice’s lawyers—many of whom have held senior positions in government—are positioned to serve clients during challenging times.  This breadth of practice—the insights and knowledge developed from the volume and variety of matters the firm has handled—has made it a one-stop shop for clients.

About Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

Sullivan & Cromwell LLP is a global law firm that advises on significant litigation, corporate investigations and complex regulatory, major domestic and cross-border M&A, finance, corporate and restructuring transactions, tax and estate planning matters.  Founded in 1879, Sullivan & Cromwell has approximately 900 lawyers located in offices in New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Palo Alto, London, Frankfurt, Paris, Brussels, Hong Kong, Beijing, Tokyo, Melbourne and Sydney.