Michael Liftik has joined the firm as a partner based in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office, after nearly a decade with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Michael focuses on government and internal investigations, regulatory enforcement defense, securities litigation, and cybersecurity. Michael has extensive experience as a securities litigator, having worked on major securities regulatory crises, including market timing and late trading, stock options backdating, and the financial crisis. Before joining the firm, Michael was the Deputy Chief of Staff of the SEC, where he served as a senior legal advisor to Chair Mary Jo White on all aspects of the SEC’s operations, including enforcement, regulatory policy, compliance exams, agency strategy and direction, as well as the day-to-day management of the agency.
He was also responsible for assisting the Chair in developing the agency’s policies on cybersecurity for registered entities and public companies and led the SEC’s initial efforts to analyze areas where emerging financial technologies intersect with securities regulation. Michael had also previously served as Chair White’s senior advisor on enforcement. In addition to his work in the Chair’s office, Michael held various roles in the Division of Enforcement including as Counsel to the Division Director and as Acting Chief of the Complex Financial Instruments Unit. Earlier in his career, he was an enforcement attorney where he investigated and litigated a wide range of securities law violations. Before joining the SEC, Michael was in private practice focusing on securities litigation and internal investigations.