John H. Walsh
Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP
John H. Walsh is a 23-year veteran of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), John Walsh joined Sutherland in October 2011. With his deep, insider's experience and perspective of the SEC, John now represents broker-dealers, hedge funds, investment advisers and other securities firms in compliance and regulatory issues involving the agency. He counsels clients on the full spectrum of securities issues from development and compliance to cooperation in examinations and defense in enforcement proceedings. At the SEC, John played a key role in creating the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE), which administers examinations of U.S. registered securities entities. He designed and implemented the SEC's securities compliance examination practices, first as a senior advisor for compliance policy and then, most recently, as associate director-chief counsel. In 2009, he served as OCIE's acting director and led a massive retraining of examination staff on antifraud techniques. Prior to his tenure at OCIE, John was special counsel to former SEC Chairman Arthur Levitt from 1993 to 1995. From 1990 to 1993, he worked in the SEC Division of Enforcement, serving first as senior counsel and then as chief of the branch of regional office assistance, where he regularly appeared before the Commission's closed meetings to present and discuss regional office enforcement cases. He also advised the commissioners and staff on securities laws and agency policy. John began his career with the SEC in 1988 as an attorney in the Office of General Counsel.
(05/15)
John F. Walsh is partner with Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr in Denver, CO. Over the course of his 30-year career in both federal government and private practice, John Walsh has developed a multifaceted legal practice focusing on complex litigation and dispute resolution services, internal investigations, government investigation response and crisis management. Mr. Walsh is a highly respected and skilled litigator who also has deep experience advising clients on securities litigation, general commercial litigation and arbitration matters, both domestic and international. Mr. Walsh's broad federal criminal and civil trial experience, state court experience, as well as overseas internal investigation, international arbitration and negotiation experience, puts him in a unique position to provide counsel and legal services to a broad array of clients at both regional and national levels. In addition, his extensive experience dealing with the media in both government and private practice, including as an on-air legal commentator for CBS national news, as well as through extensive high-profile community involvement, has given Mr. Walsh strong insights into managing public crisis matters on behalf of clients. Prior to joining WilmerHale, Mr. Walsh served for six years as United States Attorney for the District of Colorado, one of the longest terms in Colorado history. As the presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed, top federal law enforcement official and spokesperson in Colorado, he was responsible for coordinating priorities, resources, community outreach and public statements of federal law enforcement in the state. He also managed approximately 80 assistant US attorneys; supervised the federal criminal, civil and appellate caseload of the office; and represented the Department of Justice in ongoing complex political and legal situations arising from Colorado's legalization of marijuana under state law. As US attorney, Mr. Walsh also served in national-level leadership positions for the Department of Justice. Attorney General Eric Holder selected Mr. Walsh to serve first as a member, and then as chair, of the national Attorney General's Advisory Committee of US Attorneys (AGAC). In that role, Mr. Walsh led 93 US attorneys through constant communication and consultation on the full range of criminal and civil issues facing the Department of Justice and the annual US attorneys' conferences, and frequently served as a public spokesperson for the community. At the request of Attorney General Holder, Mr. Walsh also served as co-chair of the AGAC's White Collar Crime Subcommittee, and as national co-chair of the Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Fraud Working Group.
(05/18)
