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Aaron Lipson counsels public companies, investment advisers, broker-dealers, accounting firms, private funds, and individuals facing complex government investigations. Aaron also assists regulated entities with compliance matters and advises boards of directors with respect to independent investigations and disclosure matters.
A partner in our Special Matters and Government Investigations practice, Aaron brings nearly 15 years of experience as a senior enforcement official at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) where he led the enforcement program for the SEC’s Atlanta Regional Office. Aaron oversaw a wide variety of investigations including those related to financial fraud, manipulative market practices, insider trading, cyber-intrusions, breaches of fiduciary duty, failures to disclose conflicts of interest, and unregistered offerings.
As an Associate Director in the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, Aaron supervised a team of over 60 attorneys, accountants and other professionals. In addition to having primary responsibility for all regional investigations, Aaron exercised significant oversight with respect to the SEC’s Wells process and whistleblower and cooperation programs.
Aaron also routinely partnered with federal and state law enforcement and regulatory agencies throughout the nation, including the U.S. Department of Justice, various U.S. Attorney’s Offices, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board among others. These agencies regularly invited Aaron to conduct trainings for their staff on white collar investigative practices and emerging issues in financial regulation.
While at the SEC, Aaron was a senior manager in the agency’s Complex Financial Instruments Specialized Enforcement Unit, focusing on securitizations and the retail marketing of structured products. Aaron also led one of the SEC’s intra-agency working groups that focused on cross-border transactions as well as attorney and auditor liability. At times, Aaron represented the agency on the President’s Financial Fraud Task Force and the RMBS Working Group. In this capacity, Aaron played key roles in several of the most significant multi-agency coordinated investigations and criminal prosecutions arising from the financial crisis.
Aaron is also an adjunct professor at the Emory University School of Law, where he co-teaches an upper level class focused on securities enforcement and government investigations.
Prior to joining the SEC, Aaron was an associate from 2000 – 2004 at an Atlanta law firm specializing in financial services litigation.
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