Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that Mark Schonfeld will join the New York office as a partner. Schonfeld, the Director of the New York Regional Office of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, will join Gibson Dunn as Co-Chair of the Securities Enforcement Practice Group and will also work closely with the firm’s Crisis Management and White Collar Defense and Investigations groups.

During his 12-year tenure at the SEC, Schonfeld was co-head of the enforcement program at the Northeast Regional Office in New York from 2001 to 2004 before assuming his current position as Director in 2004. While at the SEC, he led the New York office in bringing many of its most important, high-profile enforcement matters over the last decade.

"Mark will be a terrific addition to our securities enforcement team," said Ken Doran, Managing Partner of Gibson Dunn. "He enjoys an exceptional reputation among regulators and the financial community alike. Mark brings a wealth of experience, a well-deserved reputation for his fair-minded tenacity and strong leadership skills. Mark will be a tremendous resource for our clients facing an SEC investigation, or an internal investigation, or litigation involving securities issues."

"We are delighted to have Mark join our firm," said Randy Mastro, Co-Chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice. "Mark is the complete package. He is widely regarded as one of the nation's leading experts on securities enforcement, and he has had a very distinguished public career that should serve him well in private practice. He will significantly enhance our practice here in New York and nationwide."

"The firm’s top-tier securities, litigation and white collar practices and the collegiality among the partners are exactly what I was seeking," said Schonfeld. "I am looking forward to returning to private practice with such talented and dedicated lawyers at my side."

As Director of the SEC’s New York Regional Office, Schonfeld oversaw nearly 400 staff members, including enforcement attorneys, accountants, investigators and compliance examiners. His representative cases include an industry-wide investigation on fraudulent accounting by insurance and reinsurance companies and coordination of the SEC's nationwide investigation of mutual fund trading practices, leading the cases against some of the largest financial institutions in the country with settlements totaling over $1 billion.

Schonfeld joined the SEC in 1996 in the Enforcement Division in the Boston office. He moved to become Branch Chief in the Northeast Regional office in New York in 1998 and held several positions of increasing responsibility. He was named Director of that office in 2004 and served in that capacity until 2008. He has received the SEC Chairman’s Award for Excellence and the SEC Capital Markets Award.

Before joining the SEC, Schonfeld was in private practice in Boston. He graduated in 1988 from Harvard Law School, cum laude, and clerked for Judge Ellsworth Van Graafeiland of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit in 1988 to 1989.

Gibson Dunn is a recognized leader in the defense of securities class actions, derivative litigation, and SEC and government enforcement actions.  Consistently ranked as one of the top securities litigation practices in the country, in 2008 Gibson Dunn was ranked as one of the top firms in securities litigation in the United States by Chambers USA and the Legal 500.  In addition, the firm’s securities litigation partners have been honored individually by various organizations as among the best nationally, and in key jurisdictions, such as New York, California and Washington, D.C.

Lawyers in Gibson Dunn's Securities Litigation Practice Group bring unparalleled experience to every matter.  The firm’s partners include nationally recognized securities class action defense counsel, as well as a number of former senior officials with the Securities and Exchange Commission, FINRA (formerly NASD), and the Department of Justice (including two former U.S. Attorneys and more than 20 former Assistant U.S. Attorneys). 

The White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Group successfully defends corporations, senior corporate executives, and public officials in a wide range of federal and state investigations and prosecutions, and conducts sensitive internal investigations for leading companies in almost every business sector. The Group has members in every domestic office of the Firm and draws on more than 75 attorneys with deep government experience, including numerous former federal and state prosecutors and officials, many of whom served at high levels within the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Gibson Dunn’s Crisis Management Practice Group offers a vital and increasingly essential resource in today's complex and threatening legal environment.  The Group includes skilled and battle-tested lawyers with the experience to assist clients facing a major, company-threatening crisis.  The lawyers in the Group have demonstrated their effectiveness in dealing with all three branches of the United States government, state law enforcement and regulatory officials, and international regulators.  Members of this team are also experienced in developing and implementing a prompt and effective media strategy to deal with any crisis.