Emily Westerberg Russell Named Chief Counsel of Division of Trading and Markets

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Emily Westerberg Russell has been named Chief Counsel of the Division of Trading and Markets. 

Ms. Russell has been a member of the division’s Office of Chief Counsel for a decade, and since 2011 has served as a Senior Special Counsel in the Office of Sales Practices.  Ms. Russell has worked on a broad range of broker-dealer regulatory matters and was responsible for, among other things, developing and drafting key components of the Commission’s recently adopted package of rulemakings and interpretations designed to enhance the quality and transparency of retail investors’ relationships with investment advisers and broker-dealers.  In particular, Ms. Russell led the development and drafting of Regulation Best Interest.  Ms. Russell has also provided legal and policy advice on a variety of anti-money laundering issues, and represented the Division of Trading and Markets in senior-level interagency and international meetings on these matters.  

“Emily has consistently demonstrated tremendous leadership and legal judgment, and she has earned the respect of her peers across the SEC,” said Chairman Jay Clayton.  “I know that my colleagues and I look forward to continuing to work with Emily in her new role for the benefit of investors and our capital markets.”

“Emily is an extremely talented lawyer who has made remarkable contributions to the SEC, our markets, and our investors,” added Brett Redfearn, Director of the Division of Trading and Markets.  “I’m delighted we will have the benefit of her leadership and experience as Chief Counsel.  Investors will be well-served by her dedication to the SEC’s mission and wide-ranging knowledge of the diverse and important markets we regulate.”

“Working with my incredible colleagues in the Office of Chief Counsel has been the highlight of my professional career,” said Ms. Russell.  “I am truly honored and excited to continue working with this outstanding team in my new role, and I look forward to helping support the many dedicated and talented staff in the Division of Trading and Markets and across the Commission who are carrying out tremendous responsibilities every day for the benefit of our capital markets and investors.” 

Before joining the SEC in 2009, Ms. Russell worked in the Financial Institutions Group at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, where she advised broker-dealers and other financial institutions regarding compliance with a wide range of securities and banking laws, rules and regulations as well as anti-money laundering requirements.  

Ms. Russell received her B.A., summa cum laude, in Economics and International Relations from Colgate University.  She earned her J.D. from the Columbia University School of Law, where she was a James Kent Scholar and a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and served as Executive Editor of the Columbia Journal of Transnational Law.