With decades of experience in government and private practice, Stephanie Avakian leads WilmerHale’s Securities and Financial Services Department in counseling and defending public companies, investment banks, asset management firms, accounting firms, boards of directors, and individual executives through the challenges of government investigations. Avakian has extensive experience leading internal investigations of suspected wrongdoing triggered by whistleblower complaints, governance reviews, short seller reports, and regulatory inquiries, often involving high stakes allegations of financial misconduct or compliance failures.

As Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement in the first Trump Administration, Avakian oversaw the Division’s approximately 1,400 professionals and staff, brought more than 3,000 enforcement actions, obtained judgments and orders for more than $17 billion in penalties and disgorgements, and returned approximately $3.6 billion to harmed investors. She is a highly recognized authority on helping clients address the enforcement, governance, and compliance issues presented by today’s markets.

While leading the SEC Enforcement Division, Avakian oversaw a wide range of issues including insider trading, financial fraud and disclosure violations, auditor and accounting issues, market structure, asset management, and the FCPA. She also confronted novel issues at the forefront of the markets today, such as cryptocurrencies, other digital assets, and cybersecurity—and worked closely with other leaders at numerous federal, foreign, and state agencies including the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), UK Financial Conduct Authority, and Office of the New York Attorney General.