Another former deputy director of the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission is returning to the private sector.
SEC Deputy Director of Trading and Markets, Lizzie Baird joins Steptoe’s Blockchain & Cryptocurrency legal team.
Baird brings enormous strength and a plethora of experience to the team.With an unrivaled combination of regulatory and compliance, commodities, derivatives, securities, and exchange issues, tax law and policy, and government enforcement experience, Steptoe’s blockchain and cryptocurrency team is uniquely positioned to help clients develop and implement blockchain strategies and navigate the complex legal and regulatory environment surrounding cryptocurrencies and crypto-assets in the US and across the globe.
Lizzie Baird has joined the Team
Baird served nearly three years as deputy director of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Division of Trading and Markets, has joined the firm as a partner. Baird, who will be based in the firm’s Washington office, brings more than 30 years’ experience working in the financial markets as a senior SEC official, a law firm securities enforcement partner, and a Wall Street fixed income trader.
Baird Statement:
“I’m delighted to be joining Steptoe. As a new SEC commission gets underway, it will have a far more aggressive enforcement posture than the previous commission, and I look forward to working closely with Steptoe’s incredibly talented securities enforcement, investigations, and financial services lawyers to help clients navigate the changes and find solutions for any problems they may encounter.”
Baird had a successful securities enforcement practice in which she represented financial institutions, public companies, individuals, and investment advisories regarding investigations brought by the SEC, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and other self-regulatory organizations and government agencies. She ran internal investigations, counseled clients on compliance and corporate governance, and focused on providing fixed income enforcement and regulatory counseling. Baird began her career on Wall Street, where she traded fixed income bonds for nearly a decade.
Steptoe Chair Phil West commented:
“Lizzie is a high-profile, impressively credentialed securities enforcement lawyer. She is also one of the very few securities lawyers with experience not only as a senior SEC official, but also as a securities trader. She will be a strong addition to our practices in Securities Enforcement, Investigations and White-Collar Defense, and Financial Services.”
