The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has tapped a new director for the Division of Corporation Finance, while the division’s acting director is set to take over as the agency’s general counsel.
Renee Jones, professor of law at Boston College Law School, will take over as head of the Division of Corporation Finance, beginning June 21. At Boston College, her scholarship focused on corporate governance and the federal-state relationship in corporate regulation. She critiqued the risks posed to consumers and society by billion-dollar startups (called “unicorns”) in a 2017 article, “The Unicorn Governance Trap,” published in the University of Pennsylvania Law Review Online.
“Renee brings deep expertise in corporate governance and securities law to the Division of Corporation Finance. Her leadership will be invaluable as the Division facilitates disclosure under our current rules and undertakes rule modernization to meet the challenges of today,” SEC Chair Gary Gensler said in a press release Monday.
John Coates, who had been leading the division as acting director since February, was concurrently named the SEC’s general counsel, also effective June 21.
Coates replaces Michael Conley, who had been serving as acting general counsel since January.
“In only two months, I’ve come to rely upon John’s deep expertise and judgment, traits that are essential in the role of General Counsel,” Gensler stated. “I thank Michael Conley for his service as Acting General Counsel, and I look forward to continuing to work with Michael and John on critical matters before the Commission.”
Before joining the SEC, Coates was a professor of law and economics at Harvard University and a partner at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, where he specialized in mergers and acquisitions.
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