Former Chief of SEC Market Abuse Unit Daniel M. Hawke Joins Arnold & Porter

WASHINGTON, DC, October 6, 2015 -- Arnold & Porter LLP announced today that Daniel M. Hawke, former Chief of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Division of Enforcement’s Market Abuse Unit and Director of the SEC Philadelphia Regional Office, has joined the firm as partner. Mr. Hawke will be part of the firm’s Securities Enforcement and Litigation practice, co-chaired by SEC alumnus Michael Trager in Washington, DC and Veronica Rendón Callahan in New York.   

During his 16-year tenure at the SEC, Mr. Hawke held several senior and high-profile positions in the Division of Enforcement and supervised investigations into all manner of federal securities law violations. From January 2010 until most recently, he established and led the Division’s Market Abuse Unit and managed the work of  more than 60 attorneys and industry specialists in eight SEC offices nationwide. With responsibility for investigations throughout the United States, he oversaw hundreds of investigations of market structure violations, complex insider trading rings, broker-dealer conduct and compliance violations, high-frequency and algorithmic trading issues, alternative trading systems (dark pools) misconduct, hacking and cyber security schemes, and large cap market manipulations. Under Mr. Hawke’s leadership, the Market Abuse Unit used technology and quantitative analysis to detect abusive trading schemes and conduct groundbreaking “trader-based” investigations. He also led the establishment of the unit’s Analysis and Detection Center to identify and evaluate potential violations of the federal securities laws. 

In his various senior capacities, Mr. Hawke has served as an adviser to the SEC chair, commissioners, and division directors regarding national enforcement program priorities and policy issues, legislative and investigative inquiries, Congressional testimony, and legal and regulatory policy issues. He has extensive experience coordinating SEC enforcement activities with federal criminal authorities, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, federal financial services, state securities and foreign regulators.

Arnold & Porter Chairman Thomas H. Milch said, “Dan’s arrival is timely. At a time when the stakes of SEC enforcement activity have never been higher, clients will benefit from Dan’s sophisticated understanding of SEC enforcement priorities and policies, together with his deep knowledge of SEC investigations.” He added, “His experience will be especially insightful to financial institutions, including exchanges, investment banks, broker-dealers, investment advisers and hedge funds.”

In addition to his unit chief responsibilities, Mr. Hawke served as Director of the SEC’s Philadelphia Office from April 2006 through February 2014. In this capacity, Mr. Hawke administered the Commission’s examination and enforcement programs in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, DC. He also served as Associate Regional Director for Enforcement in Philadelphia, and as a Branch Chief and Senior Counsel in the SEC’s Division of Enforcement in Washington, DC.

“Arnold & Porter is a terrific fit for me. The firm is widely recognized as a leader in securities enforcement and litigation, with lawyers who have an excellent track record defending clients in enforcement matters,” said Mr. Hawke. “I look forward to teaming with my new colleagues and applying the knowledge and experience I have gained at the SEC to advise clients on challenges they are facing in the financial services and capital markets.”

Mr. Hawke obtained his law degree from Boston University School of Law, where he was editor-in-chief of the Boston University International Law Journal. He received his undergraduate degree from Tulane University.

Arnold & Porter LLP is an international law firm of nearly 800 lawyers with offices in Brussels, Denver, Houston, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Washington, DC. The firm, founded in 1946, maintains more than 25 practice areas spanning a broad spectrum of the law, with a primary focus on litigation, transactional matters, and regulatory issues.