Matthew C. Solomon, Former Chief Litigation Counsel for the SEC’s Enforcement Division, Joins Cleary Gottlieb

Matthew C. Solomon, until recently the Chief Litigation Counsel for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Enforcement Division, will join Cleary Gottlieb as a partner in January 2017.

He will be based in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office and will focus on litigation and enforcement matters.

“We are extremely fortunate to welcome a lawyer with Matt’s strong record of success,” said Cleary Managing Partner Mark Leddy. “Matt’s extensive government service and experience litigating complex securities matters will prove invaluable as he joins our exceptional global litigation and enforcement team. With Matt joining and Dave Gelfand having recently returned to the firm after serving as the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division’s Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Litigation, we have added partners who led the litigation efforts at two of the federal agencies most relevant to our clients.”

Matt comes to Cleary following a distinguished career in public service, serving for more than 15 years at both the SEC and the Department of Justice. He joined the SEC’s Enforcement Division as Deputy Chief Litigation Counsel in 2012 and was elevated to Chief Litigation Counsel in 2013. During his tenure at the SEC, Matt led the agency’s litigation efforts, securing favorable verdicts in 22 federal trials, and incurring no federal trial losses in the last 2 ½ years. He personally led the SEC’s litigation efforts against hedge fund manager Steven A. Cohen, resulting in a two-year supervisory bar. Under Matt’s leadership, SEC litigators also achieved strong success in administrative proceedings.  As Chief Litigation Counsel, Matt led the Washington trial unit of 50 attorneys and 100 additional dedicated litigators in the SEC’s 11 regional offices.

Prior to joining the SEC, Matt served in numerous positions with the DOJ, including as a trial lawyer in the Public Integrity Section of the DOJ’s Criminal Division and as chief of the fraud unit for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, where he led a team of 25 Assistant U.S. Attorneys investigating and prosecuting securities fraud, procurement fraud, public corruption, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations, intellectual property crimes, and health care fraud.  During his government service, Matt has successfully tried numerous cases before judges and juries in federal courts nationwide.

“Matt is highly regarded for both his leadership and his litigation skills. He will be an excellent complement to our highly skilled global team, and we are thrilled to welcome him to the firm,” said Cleary partner Lewis J. Liman.

“I was extremely fortunate to work alongside a team of talented litigators and investigating staff at the SEC, and I would like to thank them for their dedication,” said Matt. “I am very proud of the successes that we achieved during my time at the Enforcement Division, and I look forward to bringing my experience to Cleary’s leading litigation and enforcement practices as I begin the next phase of my career.”

In addition to Matt and Dave Gelfand, Cleary’s New York and Washington offices continue to attract talented lawyers with strong government experience. Carl Emigholz rejoined Cleary earlier this year as a senior attorney in the Washington office after serving, most recently, as Counsel to the Director of the Division of Trading and Markets at the SEC. In early 2017, the firm will also welcome back Alex Janghorbani, who will rejoin Cleary in New York as a senior attorney after serving as a Senior Trial Counsel in the SEC’s New York Regional Office. Alex will bring invaluable knowledge of the New York Regional Office and experience litigating securities cases in federal court and in the SEC’s administrative proceedings.