Skadden is pleased to announce that Daniel Michael, who recently stepped down as chief of the Complex Financial Instruments Unit of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement, is joining Skadden as a partner. Mr. Michael, who will be based in our New York office, will advise clients on SEC enforcement and regulatory matters as part of the firm’s Government Enforcement and White Collar Crime Group. He will work closely with former SEC colleagues in Skadden’s Washington, D.C. office. His practice will focus on counseling financial services firms and other firms and companies, as well as their boards and executives, on enforcement and internal investigations and a broad range of regulatory matters within the jurisdiction of the SEC.

An SEC official for more than a decade, during the Obama, Trump and Biden administrations, Mr. Michael has been chief of the Complex Financial Instruments Unit since 2017. In this capacity, he oversaw a nationwide team of attorneys responsible for many of the Enforcement Division’s most programmatically significant cases, including a broad range of actions against financial institutions, hedge funds, mutual funds, issuers, credit rating agencies, fintech companies and other market participants. Mr. Michael and his team also provided guidance on proposed rulemakings, and he served on the Enforcement Division’s Cooperation Committee and the SEC’s Security-Based Swaps Joint Venture.

“Dan’s deep experience, exceptional skills, innovative approach and up-to-date insights into the SEC’s priorities will further enhance our offerings in the financial services sector, as well as in many other areas touched by the SEC,” said David Meister, head of the firm’s New York Government Enforcement and White Collar Crime Group. “We are thrilled to welcome him to the firm.”

“I am excited to join such a dynamic team and look forward to advising Skadden clients on the evolving legal challenges raised in SEC regulatory and enforcement matters,” said Mr. Michael.

Prior to joining the SEC, Mr. Michael served as a law clerk to the Honorable Richard M. Berman of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. He began his legal career as an associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, where he worked on securities class actions and other commercial disputes.

A graduate of New York University, Mr. Michael received his J.D. from Harvard Law School.