In the past two weeks there have been two interesting articles written about SEC enforcement legend Judge Stanley Sporkin. Judge Sporkin, of course, was the SEC’s second Director of Enforcement, serving in that role for seven years with accomplishments including a leading role in creating the FCPA books and records provision. Judge Sporkin went on to become General Counsel of the CIA, a respected federal judge in Washington, D.C., and a partner in the international law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges.
On March 25, a post by Bill Henderson on the Legal Whiteboard discussed Judge Sporkin’s impact on what some in the securities bar have referred to as “Sporkin’s kids” — his SEC protégés such as Ed Herlihy, Bill McLucas, and Ralph Ferrera who “went on to become some of the most sought after and influential securities litigation lawyers of their generation.” Judge Sporkin told Henderson that rather than focusing on the law school that young lawyers attended, he looked instead for lawyers who would approach their jobs with enthusiasm.
