SEC names Megan Barbero its next General Counsel

SEC names Megan Barbero its next General Counsel

Megan Barbero will be appointed as the new General Counsel of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) upon the departure of the current General Counsel, Dan Berkovitz, at the end of January.

Barbero is currently serving as a principal deputy general counsel at the SEC. She joined the agency in July 2021. She has been advising the agency on legal issues related to rulemaking initiatives and litigation strategy.

Before joining the SEC as General Counsel, she served as the Deputy General Counsel for the US House of Representatives. During her tenure, she was responsible for managing strategic litigation for the House, which included legal disputes with the Trump administration.

Barbero also worked as an attorney for the US Department of Justice's civil Appellate Staff, where she dealt with appellate litigation and also worked in the Supreme Court and appellate litigation practice at the law firm WilmerHale.

SEC Chair Gary Gensler expressed his confidence in Megan Barbero's qualifications for the position of GC and said that the agency will benefit from Barbero's "incredible judgment and highest-level legal experience."

"Megan has been one of the Commission's most trusted counselors, and she will bring a skilled and steady hand to the role of general counsel," Gensler said. "She is a tested leader, and just the person to succeed Dan during a critical time for our agency," Gensler said.

"I am honored to be asked to serve the Commission in this new role and look forward to continuing to work with my outstanding SEC colleagues," Barbero said.