Cleary Gottlieb partner Giovanni Prezioso was honored by The National Law Journal as one of the “Most Influential Lawyers of the Decade” for regulation in recognition of his accomplishments during his tenure as General Counsel of the SEC as well as his work at Cleary Gottlieb. The special report, published on March 29, recognizes 40 lawyers in the United States whose work between 2000 and 2010 “was so consequential that it helped to push the profession, an industry or a practice area substantially forward.”
Shortly after Giovanni joined the SEC as General Counsel in 2002, Congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and Giovanni was tasked with overseeing the implementation of the enforcement and regulatory provisions of SOX—the biggest change to U.S. securities laws since the Great Depression. “I was there for the [bill’s] signing,” he told the NLJ, “and then it was off to the races.” In addition to his contributions to SOX, Giovanni’s 120-lawyer office also provided legal advice to the commission on more than 2,000 enforcement matters. He is also credited with revitalizing the office’s amicus program. Giovanni rejoined Cleary Gottlieb in 2006; along with partner Lewis Liman, he recently led the firm’s representation of Bank of America in its settlement with the SEC.
The lawyers included in the report were selected through the NLJ staff’s reporting, and from more than 100 nominations submitted by the legal community.