WilmerHale is pleased to announce that Susan Schroeder, who until recently was FINRA’s executive vice president for enforcement, is rejoining the firm as a partner and vice chair of its Securities Department.

In that role, she will join William R. McLucas, the department’s chair, and Daniel M. Gallagher, its deputy chair, in managing this market-leading practice and guiding its future direction. Ms. Schroeder will be based in the firm’s New York office.

Ms. Schroeder became the head of FINRA enforcement in 2017 and was the organization’s deputy chief of enforcement for the six years prior. She was also on its management committee. She was a WilmerHale partner in 2011 when she left to join FINRA. FINRA is a self-regulatory organization responsible for overseeing broker-dealers in the US and is overseen by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

At FINRA, Ms. Schroeder emphasized coordination with other financial regulators to reduce costly and inefficient regulatory duplication. She also led the consolidation of FINRA’s disparate enforcement activities to create a unified department with clear priorities. Further, she was the primary architect of FINRA’s updated policy regarding cooperation credit.

Ms. Schroeder rejoins WilmerHale with extraordinary experience in issues related to supervisory and anti-money laundering violations, market access, market conduct rules, customer protection, and disclosure violations. This, and more than a decade in private practice, richly inform her advice to broker-dealers and other clients facing potential issues and responding to inquiries from the SEC, self-regulatory organizations, and state securities regulators.

“We’re thrilled to have Susan back as a colleague,” said Susan Murley, WilmerHale co-managing partner. “She is one of the most respected and trusted former securities enforcement leaders in private practice today because of her proven leadership and management skills.”

“Susan is a superbly talented addition to our market leading securities-law groups,” McLucas said. “She’s one of the best in the business for securities enforcement and regulatory advice. We couldn’t be happier to have her on our team again.”

Of her return to the firm, Ms. Schroeder said: “It is a privilege to re-join WilmerHale, which has long been the go-to advisor and advocate for financial institutions facing difficult challenges in a highly regulated environment. I know how well-deserved that reputation is. I am thrilled that as I return to private practice, I will bring not only the benefit of my own experience, but the well-known expertise and insights of my WilmerHale colleagues."

Ms. Schroeder first joined WilmerHale in 2004, becoming a partner in 2010. She earned her law degree, cum laude, from New York University Law School. She has a master’s degree in sociology from the University of California, Davis, and her bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, from Georgetown University.