Allen & Overy opened a new office in Washington, D.C. with the addition of three new partners to boost its U.S. regulatory practice.
According to a press release, the firm plans to steadily grow this office in strategic areas, specifically focusing on regulatory, securities enforcement, banking, commodities and derivatives, project finance, FCPA, international arbitration, antitrust and intellectual property.
The three new partners are Barbara Stettner, Chris Salter and Charles Borden who were previously with O'Melveny & Myers in Washington, D.C.
Several lawyers from Allen & Overy's 175-lawyer New York office are expected to relocate to add to the the Washington, D.C. office. This is aside from David Slade, who will be the managing partner of the new office.
Stettner has extensive experience representing and advising broker-dealers, banks, investment banks, investment advisers, and other U.S. and foreign financial institutions on domestic and cross-border regulatory and compliance obligations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the Bank Secrecy Act and federal and state pay-to-play and placement agent regulations. She was formerly at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the division of trading and markets and in the office of international affairs.
Salter also has experience advising financial institution clients, particularly broker-dealers, investment advisers, private equity funds, and hedge funds on compliance with the federal securities laws and regulations including the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and on compliance with the rules of the self-regulatory organizations, including the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. He was previously with the SEC as well.
Borden's focus is on matters involving the intersection of law and public policy. He has experience representing and advising financial institution clients, such as broker-dealers, investment advisers, private equity funds and real estate investment firms, on compliance with federal, state and local political law regulations, including the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) Rule G-37 and the SEC pay-to-play rule for investment advisers; state and local pay-to-play law; and federal, state and local law regulating lobbying, campaign finance, gifts, entertainment and government ethics.
"Opening an office in Washington, D.C. represents a strategic imperative of the firm and demonstrates our continued commitment to expand our presence in the U.S.," said David Morley, Allen & Overy's senior partner. "As the hub of U.S. government, Washington, D.C. is an incredibly important location for us and we are delighted to have found such a high-quality group of partners to open the office."
"We are excited that Barbara, Chris and Charles are joining the firm," said Kevin O'Shea, U.S. managing partner. "Opening an office in Washington, D.C. and continuing to bolster our strong regulatory practice and our expanding global regulatory network, particularly in the broker-dealer, securities and pay-to-play areas, secures two pressing strategic priorities for our U.S. practice, our global network and our clients. Having a Washington, D.C. presence also provides us with access to a deep and talented pool of attorneys in the D.C. area as we look to continue to grow our U.S. practice. In the post-Dodd-Frank environment, providing senior-level regulatory advice to our clients is increasingly crucial. The regulatory playing field for both U.S. and international financial institutions has been radically and permanently altered, resulting in new challenges to these entities. Barbara, Chris and Charles provide further support to address the needs of our clients."
