Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced his selection of Chad Johnson to serve as Chief of the Attorney General’s Investor Protection Bureau. In that role, Mr. Johnson will be charged with enforcing New York State Securities laws and overseeing the bureau that has spearheaded critical financial industry reforms on behalf of New Yorkers. Mr. Johnson has more than 20 years of experience litigating securities cases on behalf of both shareholders and financial institutions.
Mr. Johnson joined the Executive Division of the Office of the Attorney General in 2012, initially serving as Senior Trial Counsel and later as Deputy Attorney General. During his time in the Office, Mr. Johnson has led a number of prominent matters on behalf of the Attorney General, including:
- The ongoing Thomson Reuters matter, which resulted in an interim agreement by Thomson Reuters to discontinue its practice of selling early access to market-moving information to a select group of high-frequency traders;
- The JP Morgan proxy contest investigation, which resulted in an agreement by JP Morgan to revert to the practice of allowing proxy sponsors to gain access to interim voting results; and
- Advising the Attorney General on investigating misconduct related to the residential mortgage-backed securities industry and other Wall Street-related matters.
“Chad has already successfully led a number of the most important and noteworthy matters in our office—from investigating the conduct that led to the financial crisis in 2008 to ensuring that no one has an unfair early advantage in the markets. I am delighted that, in this new role, Chad will oversee the Investor Protection Bureau in its work of helping to protect working families of New York and other members of the investing public,” Attorney General Schneiderman said. “Under Chad’s stewardship, I’m confident that the Investor Protection Bureau will continue to advance Wall Street reforms that promote fairness and a level playing field -- as well as hold wrongdoers accountable for their actions.”
Chad Johnson said, “I am proud to continue my work for Attorney General Schneiderman on behalf of New Yorkers and the investing public. I look forward to building on the work of the Investor Protection Bureau and to pursuing additional means of reforming Wall Street. Having represented shareholders and financial institutions over the last 20 years, I appreciate the interests of all involved and the important role that this office serves in helping to keep investors safe.”
Before joining the Office of the Attorney General, Mr. Johnson had been a partner for nearly nine years with Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP, where he represented shareholders – including both institutional investors and individual shareholders – in securities fraud and corporate governance litigations.
Prior to that, Mr. Johnson had been a partner with Latham & Watkins, where he practiced for 10 years. At Latham & Watkins, Mr. Johnson represented financial institutions and others in complex litigations.
Mr. Johnson is a graduate of Harvard Law School and the University of Michigan.