Skadden is pleased to announce that Anita B. Bandy is joining the firm’s Washington, D.C. office on April 4 as a partner in its Securities Enforcement Group. Ms. Bandy will focus on advising corporations, financial services companies, boards and their committees, as well as directors, officers and other executives, on matters involving the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other U.S. and international law enforcement agencies, and on counseling clients on a wide range of compliance, regulatory and due diligence matters.
During her 17-year tenure at the SEC’s Enforcement Division (the Division), Ms. Bandy supervised, investigated and brought actions covering the entire breadth of the SEC’s enforcement authority. She held numerous leadership roles in the Division, including most recently serving as an associate director in the agency’s Washington, D.C. headquarters, where she oversaw a vast docket of enforcement matters.
A hallmark of Ms. Bandy’s SEC leadership during her tenure was anticipating emerging types of securities law violations and bringing actions relating to the agency’s high-priority focal points. She is experienced in a variety of areas impacting issuers of securities, such as disclosure obligations, accounting and registration, and she has overseen some of the agency’s most impactful, high-profile enforcement actions against public companies, C-suite executives, board members, audit firms and financial services firms. Ms. Bandy also led several Division-wide initiatives and “sweeps” related to financial reporting and market risk and integrity issues, including the Division’s continuing Earnings Per Share (EPS) Initiative, and the Rule 105 Initiative that resulted in numerous actions against investment advisers. Under her leadership, the SEC also brought significant actions based on reporting violations in connection with mergers and acquisitions under the Williams Act, and she managed data-driven Division priority initiatives. In 2021, she oversaw the SEC’s groundbreaking enforcement actions involving a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) and its target, as well as matters involving environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosures.
“We are excited to welcome Anita to the firm,” said Jessica Hough, head of Skadden’s Washington, D.C. office. “Anita’s leadership and unique insights — drawn from nearly two decades with the SEC, where she supervised and worked on hundreds of investigations of all types — will be an asset to companies facing the ever-increasing demands and challenges of SEC investigations.”
“Anita has long been respected, inside and outside the agency, for her judgment, deep knowledge of the securities laws and developments in the Enforcement Division, and experience in new and emerging areas,” said David Meister, head of Skadden’s Government Enforcement and White Collar Crime Group in New York. “Anita’s arrival, as well as the addition last year of her longtime SEC colleague Daniel Michael, have deepened our terrific bench in the SEC enforcement area and complement the firm’s experience across the spectrum of clients impacted by securities regulation.”
“After the privilege of government service, I’m thrilled to join Skadden, a firm that I have long respected for its preeminence in the SEC enforcement, white collar and capital markets areas, as well as its long-standing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion as a core value,” said Ms. Bandy. “I look forward to working closely with my extraordinary colleagues to guide clients through the myriad securities enforcement and regulatory issues.”
Leading by example to foster a connected culture at the SEC, and highlighting the importance of mentorship and inclusion in the workplace, Ms. Bandy reshaped how the agency approaches outreach, recruitment and cultural awareness efforts. Notably, she helped lead a task force that established a multidimensional diversity and inclusion action plan for the Division and created its first Diversity Committee in the SEC’s headquarters. She is also a frequent speaker on SEC enforcement developments, corporate wrongdoing, government investigations, compliance and anti-corruption.
Prior to joining the SEC in 2004, Ms. Bandy worked at another international law firm, where she represented clients on securities enforcement and commercial litigation matters. Ms. Bandy is a graduate of the University of Michigan, and she received her J.D. from American University.
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Bloomberg Law featured Skadden’s addition of Ms. Bandy in an article titled “Skadden Hires SEC Veteran Bandy Who Oversaw SPAC Enforcement” (March 21, 2022).
Reproduced with permission. Published March 21, 2022. Copyright 2022 by The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. (800-372-1033) https://www.bloombergindustry.com.