International law firm McDermott Will & Emery announced today that Paul Helms, former senior counsel at the SEC Enforcement Division, has joined the Firm as a partner in the Chicago office. Helms will represent corporations, financial institutions, investment firms, directors, officers and other individuals in internal investigations, enforcement proceedings, and securities litigation, strengthening McDermott’s litigation team in areas involving increasingly significant and complex challenges for clients.
Prior to joining McDermott, Helms held a variety of positions with the SEC, most recently as senior counsel. Prior to that, he served as Counsel to the Director of Enforcement and as an attorney in the Asset Management Unit and Market Abuse Unit. He began his tenure at the SEC as an Enforcement Attorney in the Chicago Regional Office.
Helms’ tenure at the SEC provides him with a focused understanding of the current landscape of enforcement actions and a comprehensive grasp of securities risks. His leadership of securities enforcement investigations at the SEC – including financial and accounting fraud, offering fraud, market manipulation, insider trading and numerous issues involving the asset management industry – position him well to assist clients in addressing high-stakes securities matters.
“In his work at the SEC in Chicago and Washington DC, Paul has earned a reputation as a first rate securities lawyer. We are excited to have him join our team and strengthen McDermott’s preeminent SEC defense practice,” said David Rosenbloom, head of McDermott’s Litigation Practice Group. Steven Scholes, McDermott’s Global head of Litigation Operations, and whose practices focuses on securities litigation, added: “SEC enforcement actions continue to be a significant challenge, and we’re excited our clients will be able to benefit from Paul’s substantial experience at the SEC’s regional and national levels.”
Helms received his JD from Vanderbilt University, where he was the Editor-in-Chief of the Vanderbilt Law Review, and his BA cum laude from the College of William & Mary.
Source: www.mwe.com
