Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that George Schieren has joined the firm’s New York office as a partner. Previously a partner with Clifford Chance, Schieren will continue his securities litigation and regulatory enforcement practice. He will reunite with his former colleagues, Mark Kirsch, Joel Cohen, and Christopher Joralemon, who joined Gibson Dunn earlier this month in New York, along with a group of seven former Clifford Chance litigation associates.

A prominent figure in the New York financial and legal communities, Schieren previously served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, then the largest broker-dealer in the U.S. Before that, he served as Chief of Branch Enforcement and then Assistant Regional Administrator of the New York Regional Office of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

"George will add depth and expertise to our securities regulation and enforcement practices and to Gibson Dunn’s litigation practice, particularly in New York – all of which are areas of growth for the firm," said Ken Doran, Managing Partner of Gibson Dunn. "George enjoys an outstanding reputation in the financial institutions and broker-dealer communities. He is well known by a number of our partners who have worked closely with him over the years and have been impressed by his judgment, strategic thinking and abilities to work effectively under pressure. George brings a great deal of experience – as a regulator, in-house general counsel and private practitioner – that will be invaluable to our clients."

"We are very glad to have George on board," said Randy M. Mastro, Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Litigation Practice and Crisis Management Groups. "George is extremely well regarded and well known in the securities industry and on Wall Street. His understanding of the role of in-house counsel and the inner workings of the SEC will prove particularly valuable to our clients."

"I look forward to working again with my team and with my new colleagues," said Schieren. "With a deep bench of SEC alumni and stellar reputation in the securities enforcement and regulatory arenas, Gibson Dunn is the right fit for me and our clients."

Schieren focuses his practice on securities litigation, regulatory enforcement proceedings, internal investigations and crisis management. He has more than three decades of experience in SEC and securities regulation, litigation and corporate governance. He has been involved in high-profile, major securities class actions, such as the IPO allocation cases for Merrill Lynch and the Parmalat class action for Citigroup.

Prior to his six-year tenure at Clifford Chance, Schieren practiced in-house at Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith from 1981 to 2003, serving from 1996 to 2003 as Senior Vice President and General Counsel and from 2000 to 2003 as a member of the Executive Management Committee. Before that, he worked in the New York Regional Office of the SEC, serving as Chief of Branch Enforcement and then Assistant Regional Administrator. He graduated cum laude from Brooklyn Law School in 1974.