June 6, 2008
Welcome to Dan Greenspan!
We’re excited that Dan Greenspan has left the SEC to join our staff! Dan spent five years at the SEC, spending the bulk of his time in Corp Fin, including a lengthy stint in the Office of Rulemaking. During the past six months, he toiled as Senior Special Counsel in the Office of the General Counsel. Dan was one of the key players during the SEC’s executive compensation disclosure rulemaking in ’06. He worked for seven years in private practice before his time at the SEC.
Dan nailed his interview when he showed up wearing an Elvis wig and holding a fake cigarette. A lesson for you kids out there. Dan is up and running in his new work clothes – and you can congratulate him at dan @thecorporatecounsel.net (remove the space after “dan” before sending).
The PCAOB’s Newest Board Member: A History Lesson
Several days ago, the SEC appointed Steven Harris to the PCAOB’s board. Steven was a former long-time Senate Banking Committee official, who more recently served as Senior Vice President and Special Counsel of APCO Worldwide.
Steven is the first Hill person to be named to the Board. However, that is not a foreign concept for SEC Commissioners. Current SEC Commissioner Kathy Casey was Staff Director and Counsel for the Senate Banking Committee when she was appointed last year. And the Commissioner I worked for a decade ago – Laura Unger – also came directly from the Senate Banking Committee.
Going back further, Rick Roberts was a former Hill staffer (although technically he left Senator Shelby’s office and went to a law firm for a short while before becoming a Commissioner in the early ’90s). In the ’80s, Lindy Marinaccio was an aide to Senator Proxmire when he was appointed by Reagan. In the ’70s and early ’80s, John Evans served two terms after coming from the Senate.
Then there are the Commisioners who were White House aides when appointed: Joe Grundfest, Richard Breeden and Paul Carey. Given Congress’ intense interest in the markets lately, any of this is not a bad background to have, as navigating Capitol Hill can be tricky. Thanks to Jack Katz for his endless knowledge of SEC history!
Closing Time: When the Founder is Ready to Sell
We have posted the transcript for the DealLawyers.com webcast: “Closing Time: When the Founder is Ready to Sell.”
– Broc Romanek