Cleary Partner David Becker Tapped as SEC GC

David Becker, a partner in the Washington office of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, has been named general counsel and senior policy director of the Securities and Exchange Commission. This will be Becker’s second stint as the agency’s general counsel. He previously held the role from 2000 to 2002.  
 
This time, though, Becker has the added title of senior policy director, which comes with the responsibility of coordinating the development and implementation of SEC policies, even as the agency reviews past practices in the glare of public criticism. In a press release, SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro said Becker’s “wisdom and careful judgment make him well-suited to play this dual leadership role.”
 
Becker, 61, joined Cleary in 2002 after leaving the SEC. According to his firm bio, his private practice focused on “SEC and other investigations, internal corporate investigations, corporate governance issues, and on a broad range of SEC regulatory matters.”