Washington, D.C., Feb. 6, 2009 — Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary L. Schapiro announced today that David M. Becker will return to the agency later this month as its General Counsel and Senior Policy Director.
Mr. Becker previously served as SEC General Counsel from January 2000 to May 2002 after joining the SEC staff as Deputy General Counsel in 1998. He will again serve as the Commission’s chief legal officer with additional responsibility for coordinating development and implementation of Commission policies.
“I’m delighted that David has agreed to leave the private sector to return to the SEC and coordinate the Commission’s efforts at revitalization and reform,” said Chairman Schapiro. “Investors will benefit tremendously from his commitment and experience, and David’s wisdom and careful judgment make him well-suited to play this dual leadership role. Throughout his career both inside and outside the SEC, David has distinguished himself as one of the leading experts on financial services regulation and securities law, and he will now help shape the SEC’s future as an ever-stronger regulator.”
Mr. Becker said, “These are challenging times for investors and the Commission. It is a great honor and opportunity to work with Chairman Schapiro, the Commission, and its talented and dedicated staff in meeting these challenges.”
Mr. Becker, 61, comes to the SEC from Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, where he was a partner in the firm’s Washington D.C. office. During his previous tenure at the SEC, Mr. Becker was appointed General Counsel by then-SEC Chairman Arthur Levitt. Mr. Becker helped shape most of the Commission’s major policy and regulatory initiatives in those years, and he counseled the Commission on virtually every matter that came before it.
Mr. Becker began his legal career as law clerk to Judge Harold Leventhal of the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and for Associate Justice (Retired) Stanley Reed of the Supreme Court. He is a graduate of Columbia College and Columbia Law School, where he was editor-in-chief of the Columbia Law Review.
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