American-Bangladeshi Anita Bandy is joining Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom's Washington office as a partner next month after 17 years with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
The former SEC official recently told Reuters in an interview that she had not initially intended on making a career with the regulatory agency but that the years passed in the blink of an eye as she worked on issues ranging from auditor independence to special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs).
"The breadth of the securities laws is so magnificent," she said. "There is never a dull moment."
Seeking a new challenge, Bandy looked to Skadden, where she said she expects her securities enforcement expertise will be relevant to clients who come to the firm to handle deals and capital raising.
Bandy practiced for five years at Proskauer Rose before joining the SEC's enforcement division in 2004. She became an associate director in 2018.
Bandy last year oversaw the SEC's fraud case against Stable Road Acquisition Corp, a SPAC that had proposed a merger with space technology company Momentus Inc.
The case was "groundbreaking," she said, as it included settlements with not only the SPAC and its merger target, but the SPAC's sponsor.
The companies settled with the SEC without admitting wrongdoing. Former Momentus CEO Mikhail Kokorich has denied the allegations and is fighting them in court.
"That case is a great example of the comprehensive approach we will likely continue to see from the commission," she said.
Bandy also created the first diversity committee at the SEC's headquarters to work on recruitment, cultural awareness, and mentorship within the agency, she said.
One reason Bandy chose to move to Skadden, she said, was that as a minority woman it was "really, really important" to find a firm that takes diversity and inclusion "seriously," including by having minority women in positions of leadership.
