Giovanni Prezioso is a partner based in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. Mr. Prezioso’s practice is focused on securities and corporate law matters.
From May 2002 until rejoining the firm in 2006, Mr. Prezioso served as General Counsel of the Securities and Exchange Commission. As the Commission’s chief legal officer, he was responsible for advising the Commission on legislative, regulatory and enforcement matters. He also was responsible for representing the Commission in appellate matters, supervising civil litigation against the Commission in district courts and directing and supervising the Commission’s bankruptcy program.
Mr. Prezioso served as the Commission’s chief legal officer during a time of unprecedented enforcement and regulatory activity. During his tenure, the 120-member staff of his Office reviewed and provided legal advice to the Commission on over 2000 enforcement actions and over 100 rulemaking proceedings. Under Mr. Prezioso’s leadership, the Office coordinated the implementation of the enforcement and regulatory provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act within the tight timeline set by Congress. The Office also drafted regulations under the Act that established formal standards of professional conduct for attorneys representing public companies. Mr. Prezioso also led an initiative to revitalize the Commission’s
amicus program, with numerous submissions to the federal courts on critical policy issues.
Before joining the Commission, Mr. Prezioso was in private practice with the firm, which he joined in 1982 and where he became a partner in 1991. During those years, he served as counsel to major financial institutions, public companies and trade associations, with responsibility for a broad range of regulatory, corporate, transactional and litigation matters.
Mr. Prezioso currently serves as Chairman of the Executive Council of the Federal Bar Association Securities Law Committee, Chairman of the NIAF Institute for International Law, a member of the Board of Advisors of the SEC Historical Society and a member of the Securities Board of Editors of the LexisNexis Publishing Company. His prior bar and other professional activities have included service as chairman of the ABA Subcommittee on Municipal and Governmental Obligations, a member of the New York Stock Exchange Rule 431 Committee and a member of the Global Documentation Steering Committee sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Mr. Prezioso is a graduate of Harvard Law School (J.D.,
magna cum laude, 1982) and Harvard College (A.B., History and Literature,
magna cum laude, 1979).
Mr. Prezioso is a member of the Bar of the District of Columbia.