Lara Shalov Mehraban

LARA SHALOV MEHRABAN is a former senior leader at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Lara brings 15 years of government experience to her representation of financial institutions, public and private companies, investment advisers, broker-dealers and individuals in their most sensitive enforcement and regulatory matters.

Lara’s deep understanding of the SEC’s priorities, policies, and internal processes allows her to guide clients through high-profile investigations with significant regulatory, financial, and reputational implications. She has recently defended clients in matters involving alleged insider trading, bank-related supervisory issues, digital asset classifications, municipal advisor rules, and public company disclosure obligations. Lara has successfully persuaded regulators not to bring charges in several investigations involving cutting-edge legal theories and industry-wide scrutiny.

Lara is also recognized for her work involving emerging issues in the digital asset space, including investigations into whether certain sales of tokens or blockchain-based products constitute securities offerings. She advises companies and individuals in navigating the evolving enforcement landscape across multiple regulators, including the SEC, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), state attorneys general, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

Before joining Sidley, Lara served as the Acting Director of the SEC’s New York Regional Office, where she supervised a large team of examiners, attorneys, investigators, accountants, and paralegals responsible for examining registrants, investigating potential violations of the federal securities laws, and litigating federal enforcement actions. Prior to that appointment, Lara served as an Associate Regional Director for Enforcement, where she oversaw some of the SEC’s most complex and high stakes enforcement matters covering all areas of the securities laws, including issues involving broker-dealers, investment advisers, exchanges, securities offerings, insider trading, cyber and public companies. She previously served as an Assistant Regional Director, and as a member of the Asset Management Unit.

A frequent speaker on securities enforcement trends, Lara has been named to Securities Docket’s “Enforcement Elite” (2024–2025), honoring leading practitioners trusted with significant, industry-defining matters.

Earlier in her career, Lara was a litigation associate at two New York law firms where she handled white collar and securities enforcement matters and she clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.