Skadden, Arps is pleased to announce that Brian V. Breheny, most recently the Deputy Director for Legal and Regulatory Policy in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Division of Corporation Finance, joined the firm’s Washington, D.C. office as a corporate partner.
Mr. Breheny joined Skadden after holding significant leadership positions at the SEC. He began as Chief of the SEC’s Office of Mergers and Acquisitions in July 2003, and in November 2007 became the Deputy Director with responsibility for the Division’s Offices of Chief Counsel, Chief Accountant, Mergers and Acquisitions, International Corporate Finance, Rulemaking, Small Business Policy and Enforcement Liaison. In his position as Chief of the Office of Mergers and Acquisitions, Mr. Breheny oversaw the legal and technical aspects of the administration of the Securities Act of 1933 as it related to tender offers and mergers; the proxy, beneficial ownership reporting, tender offer and going-private provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and the rules, regulations, forms and procedures promulgated to implement these statutory provisions.
“Brian’s experience at the SEC, including his leadership of a number of critical SEC offices, will be of great value to our clients,” said Clifford (Mike) M. Naeve, head of Skadden’s Washington, D.C. office. “He’ll enhance our strength as a leading corporate advisor and will serve as yet another resource for our clients on issues of importance to them and their boards.”
Mr. Breheny played a key role in a number of significant projects and rulemaking matters during his tenure at the SEC. Most recently, he was one of the leaders of the Commission’s consideration of the amendments to the federal proxy rules to facilitate the rights of shareholders to nominate directors to a company’s board of directors. Mr. Breheny also spearheaded the SEC team studying the U.S. proxy voting system, handled appeals of decisions by the Division’s shareholder proposal taskforce and advised the SEC’s Office of Legislative Affairs on a number of the regulatory reform matters that were adopted in the Dodd-Frank Act. Earlier in his career, he led the teams that advised the Commission on its approval of changes to the tender offer best-price rule and the cross-border tender offer and business combination rules.
Mr. Breheny said, “It’s exciting for me to be continuing my career in corporate and securities matters at Skadden. The talent of the lawyers and the breadth of practices here are truly extraordinary. I think my experiences both before and after joining the Commission staff will complement Skadden’s existing capabilities, especially as companies and other market participants consider the impact of recent regulatory changes on their businesses and transactions.”
Before joining the SEC, Mr. Breheny was at another international law firm in its New York and London offices. He began his career as a Certified Public Accountant with KPMG LLP. Mr. Breheny earned a J.D. and B.S. in Accounting from St. John’s University.