Debevoise & Plimpton LLP announced today that Stephan Schlegelmilch has joined the firm’s Washington, D.C. office as counsel in the White Collar & Regulatory Defense Practice. In this role, Mr. Schlegelmilch will advise the firm’s clients on securities enforcement, government investigations and complex commercial litigation.
Mr. Schlegelmilch brings to the firm extensive experience in investigations and litigations involving securities laws violations, including those related to digital assets and cryptocurrencies. Prior to joining Debevoise, Mr. Schlegelmilch served in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement as a Supervisory Trial Counsel in the Division’s Home Office Trial Unit where he managed a team of trial attorneys while overseeing matters related to market structure, insider trading, market manipulation and antifraud violations involving broker dealers and investment advisers. He also led and advised many of the SEC’s recent enforcement actions involving cryptocurrencies and other digital assets – an area expected to receive continued scrutiny and enforcement over the next several years.
“As the SEC continues to adopt a more aggressive posture, including in the crypto space, clients are increasingly turning to our market-leading enforcement capabilities and strong roster of SEC-experienced lawyers to help them navigate complex investigations and litigated enforcement actions,” said Andrew Ceresney, co-chair of the firm’s Litigation Department and past director of enforcement at the SEC. “Stephan’s background as an experienced and talented supervisory trial lawyer at the SEC and a former commercial litigator further bolsters the depth and trial skills of our white collar group, and augments our ability to defend clients in parallel securities litigation.”
Prior to joining the SEC, Mr. Schlegelmilch was a partner at a major law firm where he defended clients in a diverse range of white collar and securities litigation matters. He received his J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 2000, and his B.A. from Case Western Reserve University in 1997. After law school, Stephan also served as a law clerk to Judge John M. Manos in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.
Mr. Schlegelmilch is one of several senior government officials to join Debevoise’s preeminent White Collar & Regulatory Defense Practice this year, which is ranked as one of the world’s top practices by Global Investigations Review and as Band 1 by Chambers on both sides of the Atlantic for its complex representations of clients facing litigation and public policy crises. The group has been involved in some of the most significant investigations and resolutions over the past few years, and offers international and domestic clients a depth of experience and global reach that allows for effective and strategic counsel, from defending against criminal prosecutions and civil enforcement actions, to conducting internal investigations, negotiating complex global settlements and facilitating cooperation with government regulators.
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is a premier law firm with market-leading practices, a global perspective and strong New York roots. We deliver effective solutions to our clients’ most important legal challenges, applying clear commercial judgment and a distinctively collaborative approach.