Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale partner Joseph K. Brenner has been named chief counsel of the Division of Enforcement for the Securities and Exchange Commission. In the role, Brenner will provide legal and policy advice on potential enforcement actions before they are recommended to the Commission for approval.
Brenner has been a partner at Wilmer Cutler since 1990. Most recently, he served as vice chair of the firm’s Securities Department and as a member of the Securities Litigation and Enforcement Practice Group.
“Joe is a highly-accomplished attorney who will bring a deep expertise and a practical perspective to the many legal and policy issues facing the Enforcement Division,” said Robert Khuzami, director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. “We could not be more pleased that he has chosen to join the Division, and we look forward to his counsel and help as the Division moves forward on its many initiatives to better realize its mission of investor protection.”
Brenner is filling the chief counsel position previously held by Joan McKown, who left the agency in August after 24 years of service. He is expected to begin his new role sometime in the next several weeks, the SEC said in a press release.
At Wilmer, Brenner’s focus was securities enforcement, internal corporate investigations, and related civil and criminal litigation. He has more than 20 years of experience in representing public corporations, financial institutions, professional service partnerships, investment managers, and individuals in investigations and enforcement proceedings by the SEC, FINRA, and PCAOB, and related federal criminal and civil litigation.