Aaron K. Washington

Prior to joining Skadden, Mr. Washington worked at the Securities and Exchange Commission, including most recently as special counsel in the Office of the Chief Counsel in the Division of Trading and Markets. In this role, he provided critical guidance on matters related to the registration and regulation of broker-dealers, foreign broker-dealers and other market intermediaries and participants. He also played a significant role in SEC enforcement, advising the Division of Enforcement, Division of Examinations and FINRA on matters arising under Section 15 of the Exchange Act. Mr. Washington participated in several rulemaking initiatives at the commission and was responsible for identifying regulatory gaps, drafting SEC rules and making policy recommendations. During his time at the SEC, Mr. Washington also served in the Office of Trading Practices, where he administered and interpreted the commission’s proprietary trading, short-selling and anti-manipulation rules.

Mr. Washington also previously worked at another global law firm, where he advised clients on a broad range of matters involving distributed ledger technology, digital assets, algorithmic trading, best execution, short-selling, market access and over-the-counter trading. He regularly counseled clients on federal and state securities laws and self-regulatory organization rules, including assessing the applicability of existing laws and the impact of proposed and recently adopted rules and regulations.

In addition, Mr. Washington held a variety of roles at multiple major financial institutions, including serving as assistant general counsel at a prominent market maker and hedge fund, where he oversaw all aspects of its over-the-counter equities and institutional compliance programs and advised on new service and product offerings.