Washington, D.C. – Sidley is pleased to announce that Ranah Esmaili, former Assistant Director in the Enforcement Division of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has joined the firm in Washington, D.C., as a partner in its Securities Enforcement and Regulatory practice. Ms. Esmaili served as Assistant Director of the Asset Management Unit, a national specialized unit that focuses on misconduct by private funds, investment advisers, and investment companies. Ms. Esmaili joins Sidley on the heels of Sonia Barros, the outgoing Chief Corporate Governance Counsel in the Division of Corporation Finance at the SEC.
In her role as the Assistant Director of the Enforcement Division’s Asset Management Unit, Ms. Esmaili oversaw investigations into the asset management industry concerning investment strategies contrary to disclosures, undisclosed affiliated transactions and misleading performance history, undisclosed fees and compensation, and undisclosed conflicts arising from side-by-side management. The statutes and rules Ms. Esmaili enforced pertained to investment advisors, private equity firms, hedge funds, registered investment companies, venture capital firms, and separately managed accounts.
“Ranah played a major role in drafting Division of Enforcement guidance on the SEC’s Regulation Best Interest, the fiduciary standard and Form CRS regulatory requirements, so her intimate knowledge of these regulations complements Sidley’s leading regulatory capabilities and will greatly benefit our clients as they navigate the complex securities regulatory landscape,” said Neal Sullivan, chair of Sidley’s Global Securities Regulatory and Enforcement group. “Ranah exemplifies the top talent the firm consistently attracts in the regulatory arena.”
Sidley’s Securities Enforcement and Regulatory group includes over 30 former government officials from the SEC, FINRA, CFTC, CFPB, DOJ, and the UK FSA. Sidley lawyers defend clients involved in all aspects of the global capital markets, from major Wall Street firms and leading public companies to prominent investment advisers and senior executives. The firm regularly advises clients on a wide range of complex securities and commodities compliance-related matters, including structuring trades or complex derivative transactions, and acquiring or disposing of regulated entities.
With 2,000 lawyers in 20 offices around the globe, Sidley is a premier legal adviser for clients across the spectrum of industries. Follow Sidley on Twitter @SidleyLaw.
Matt Messinger, Senior Manager, Public Relations, +1 312 456-4009
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