Jenner & Block has expanded its Investigations, Compliance, and Defense Practice in San Francisco with the addition of Jennifer J. Lee, a former Assistant Director in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Division of Enforcement, and a skilled litigator.
In her 12 years at the SEC, Jen supervised attorneys and accountants in a broad range of complex investigations and enforcement actions concerning financial reporting and disclosures, cybersecurity, ESG-related issues, insider trading, crypto asset securities, investment adviser and broker-dealer regulation, auditor misconduct, and offering frauds.
“We are thrilled to welcome Jen to Jenner & Block’s Investigations, Compliance, and Defense team,” said Co-Managing Partners Katya Jestin and Randy Mehrberg. “Her vast experience at the SEC will significantly bolster our SEC enforcement and investigative practice on the West Coast.”
Jen oversaw some of the SEC’s most impactful cases, including the SEC’s first-of-its-kind cybersecurity disclosure enforcement action involving a company’s failure to disclose a massive data breach, several litigated multimillion-dollar insider trading ring actions, and a complex accounting fraud settlement involving significant clawbacks of executive compensation under Section 304 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Her investigations experience included work with the Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, and Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.
“Jen will broaden our existing expertise on the West Coast and deepen our nationwide bench of investigations and SEC practitioners” said Reid Schar, Co-Chair of the firm’s Litigation Department and Managing Partner of the San Francisco office. “There is growing client demand for SEC investigative work, as well as a significant number of California-based corporate DOJ investigations that are worked on jointly with the SEC. Jen is a tremendous addition to meet these client needs.”
In addition to her investigative skills, Jen’s pre-litigation experience at the SEC involved assessing exposure and appropriate remedial measures for corporate officers, investment advisers, broker-dealers, auditors, and other gatekeepers. Her work included overseeing the collection and analysis of evidence, negotiating pre-filing settlements, preparing matters for litigation, and serving on litigation teams through resolution. Before joining the SEC, Jen was a securities and commercial litigator. She has experience in securities fraud class actions, commercial actions, and products liability litigation.
“I view Jenner & Block as an elite destination practice for government investigations and public policy at the federal and state level,” said Jen. “I look forward to developing a strong securities investigations and litigation practice in California focused on representing corporate and individual clients in SEC and DOJ matters, internal investigations, and private securities litigation.”
As a highly regarded expert on the SEC’s enforcement program and federal securities laws, Jen is a frequent speaker at industry events, including Securities Enforcement Forum West and the Bar Association of San Francisco. Jen earned her AB from Stanford University and her JD from Columbia Law School. She clerked for the Honorable Richard J. Holwell in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and for the Honorable Roger L. Gregory in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.