Corporate finance partner Alexander F. Cohen returns to Latham & Watkins, further enhancing the firm’s specialized corporate, securities and enforcement practices
Alexander F. Cohen has rejoined the Latham & Watkins LLP’s Corporate Department as a partner in the Washington, D.C. office and as Co-Chair of the firm’s Corporate Finance Practice Group, specializing in securities regulation and enforcement. Cohen returns to Latham from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), where he served as Deputy General Counsel for Legal Policy and Administrative Practice and, more recently, as Deputy Chief of Staff.
As Deputy Chief of Staff and senior legal counsel in the Chairman’s Office, Cohen advised then-SEC Chairman Christopher Cox on all aspects of the agency’s work. Cohen also served as a liaison to Commissioners and senior agency staff on the SEC’s rulemaking, policy and enforcement activities. His role included advising on all issues arising from the SEC’s response to recent market turmoil, as well as cutting-edge regulatory developments such as the use of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) by U.S. issuers, interactive data (XBRL) standards applicable to all public companies and SEC Memoranda of Understanding with the Federal Reserve and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
In his role as Deputy General Counsel, Cohen participated in the development and review of all facets of the SEC’s regulatory function, and provided advice to the Chairman, Commissioners and senior agency staff on complex legal matters.
“We are delighted to welcome Alex back to the firm after his exemplary service in prominent positions at the SEC,” says Eric Bernthal, office managing partner of Latham & Watkins in Washington, D.C. “Alex’s outstanding capabilities and his senior-level SEC credentials give him a unique perspective on matters involving complex and sophisticated securities law issues. His broad prior experience in private practice, combined with the skills he developed at the SEC, will enable him to provide valuable service to Latham’s clients. We are proud and delighted that Alex chose to return to Latham.”
Prior to serving at the SEC, Cohen was a partner at Latham & Watkins from October 2001 to November 2006. Cohen served as the SEC’s Deputy General Counsel from November 2006 through May 2008. He served as Deputy Chief of Staff until he left the agency in December 2008. More recently, Cohen was appointed as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law Center, where he teaches classes on corporate governance. Cohen is a 1988 graduate of Yale Law School, and a former law clerk to the Honorable Wilfred Feinberg of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
D.C.