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David Peavler, director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Fort Worth Regional Office, will join Jones Day as a partner in its Securities Litigation & SEC Enforcement Practice, based in the Dallas and Washington offices.
Jones Day announced the appointment on Tuesday.
Peavler served for the last three years as regional director for the SEC office that covers Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kansas. During his tenure, he led a number of significant SEC enforcement cases in the energy, cryptocurrency, financial services, and alternative fuels vehicle industries, among others.
His tenure at the SEC spanned 19 years.
At Jones Day, Peavler joins a team of securities lawyers who defend companies and individuals facing shareholder actions arising from mergers and acquisitions, corporate transactions, derivative cases, and securities fraud class actions. He will collaborate with his colleagues across practices and offices throughout Jones Day to advise clients on corporate governance matters, business and fiduciary litigation, internal and governmental investigations, and ethics and corporate compliance issues. The Firm'sSecurities Litigation & SEC Enforcement Practice has successfully counseled clients in investigations involving every SEC office in the United States.
“David's deep knowledge of securities laws and current experience with SEC enforcement actions is matched by few lawyers in private practice,” said Henry Klehm III, leader of Jones Day's Securities Litigation & SEC Enforcement Practice, which has been named a “powerhouse” practice by BTI Litigation Outlook. “His arrival at the firm strengthens our practice capabilities to serve our clients around the country."
Eric R. Werner and Marshall Gandy will serve as the SEC Fort Worth office’s co-acting regional directors, the agency announced. Werner currently serves as the associate regional director of enforcement in the Fort Worth Office. Gandy currently serves as the associate regional director of examinations and is the co-head of the division of examinations’ national investment adviser/investment company program in the Fort Worth Office.
"I thank David for his long and distinguished service with the SEC,” said SEC Chair Gary Gensler. “At the helm of the Fort Worth Regional Office, David led the EXAMS and Enforcement efforts covering four states, hundreds of examinations, and referrals that led to numerous enforcement actions. For 19 years, David advanced the SEC’s mission, and I commend him for his excellent work."
According to a press release announcing the appointment at Jones Day, Peavler’s contributions to the agency's work were recognized with the Irving M. Pollack Award, one of the SEC's top honorary awards for exceptional public service, and the Arthur F. Matthews Award, recognizing sustained creativity in applying the federal securities laws.
Texas born, Peavler earned his law degree from the University of Texas and an undergraduate degree in accounting from Baylor University. He is a frequent speaker and panelist on topics relating to SEC priorities, trends in SEC enforcement, and corporate disclosure requirements.
Jones Day is a global law firm with more than 2,400 lawyers in 42 offices across five continents.
Before his appointment as an SEC regional director in 2019, Peavler served as general counsel of a registered broker-dealer and investment adviser based in Irving. He previously served for nearly 15 years in various roles at the SEC, including associate director for enforcement in the Fort Worth regional office.
He also worked as corporate counsel for an Oklahoma-based oil and gas company, a commercial litigation partner in the Dallas office of a U.S. law firm, and a litigation associate in the Atlanta office of a U.S. law firm.
“David has deep ties in our state and is well known throughout the Texas legal community as a highly skilled and respected lawyer," said Matt Kairis, Partner-in-Charge of Jones Day's Texas Region. “His experience in both enforcement and administration is exceptional among his peers, making him a tremendous addition to our team in Texas and beyond.”