SEC's Ceresney returns to Debevoise

Andrew Ceresney, former director of enforcement at the Securities and Exchange Commission, is returning to Debevoise & Plimpton’s white collar and regulatory defense group.

He will represent companies, boards of directors and individuals in criminal, SEC, and other state and federal regulatory matters. He will also handle internal corporate investigations and complex civil litigation.

Ceresney originally joined Debevoise in 2003, most recently heading up the white collar and regulatory defense group. He returns to the firm after four years as head of the SEC's division of enforcement. During his time at the agency, the division brought a record number of cases, including some that were first-of-a-kind.

He left the agency at the end of 2016, along with a number of other high profile staff including chairwoman Mary Jo White. He was succeeded in his role by Stephanie Avakian, deputy director of the SEC’s Enforcement Division, who became acting director of the division at the start of 2017.