Colleen P. Mahoney, a Partner in Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP’s Washington, D.C., office, heads the firm’s Securities Enforcement and Compliance practice. Ms. Mahoney regularly represents financial services firms, corporations, their officers, board committees, directors and employees in Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other law enforcement investigations.
Ms. Mahoney assists management and boards of directors performing internal investigations, often advising clients on preventive and remedial measures before and after securities-related issues arise. Ms. Mahoney has been the lead attorney representing many of the company boards and individuals embroiled in signature SEC investigations. Her clients have included many well-known U.S. and foreign companies. As is frequently the case with SEC enforcement matters, the biggest victories are the ones that never become public – the government investigations and inquiries that are put to rest before charges are filed or an indictment is issued, or even before a public disclosure of the government interest. Ms. Mahoney has succeeded in bringing a number of matters to a close in those circumstances.
Prior to joining Skadden, Ms. Mahoney spent 15 years in increasingly senior positions with the SEC, serving as acting General Counsel of the agency and as Deputy Director of the Division of Enforcement. During her tenure at the SEC, Ms. Mahoney helped manage a civil law enforcement program that involved a wide range of issues, including financial fraud and disclosure, auditor independence, mutual fund sales practices, derivatives and insider trading.
Ms. Mahoney frequently lectures on securities regulatory and enforcement issues at seminars and conferences in the United States and abroad. She received her B.A., (magna cum laude), and J.D., (summa cum laude), from American University.
Co-author of Bloomberg BNA Corporate Practice Portfolio Series No. 77-5th, The SEC Enforcement Process: Practice and Procedure in Handling an SEC Investigation. This portfolio volume discusses practice and procedure in handling both informal and formal investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission's Division of Enforcement, including responding to subpoenas, producing documents, and testimony; when and whether companies should conduct internal investigations; the Wells process and settlement discussions; remedies; and consent decrees. This portfolio also examines related issues, including disclosure of an SEC investigation and issues arising out of parallel civil and criminal inquiries.