Gerald Russello’s practice focuses on representation of financial institutions and other entities in connection with regulatory and enforcement inquiries by the SEC, FINRA and other SROs, and federal and state regulators.
Prior to joining the firm, Gerald was a managing director in the legal department of Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., where he was responsible for a wide range of regulatory and enforcement matters across all business units of this international financial services firm and its affiliates. He regularly dealt with and represented Bear Stearns before federal and state agencies and self-regulatory organizations. In this position, he also managed significant litigations involving Bear Stearns and served on the firm’s Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) committee.
Gerald spent over three years with the Enforcement Division of the Securities and Exchange Commission in New York. As a division branch chief, Gerald supervised attorneys and other professionals investigating potential misconduct involving broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, mutual fund companies, hedge funds and publicly held corporations. Prior to becoming a branch chief, Gerald investigated possible violations of the federal securities laws, including accounting fraud, improper mutual fund trading, market manipulation and other conduct. During his tenure on the Commission staff, he worked closely with other federal and state agencies, including the United States Attorney’s Office and the office of the New York Attorney General. Public matters with which he was involved include In re CIHC, Inc., et al., In re MBIA, Inc., SEC v. Cobalt Multifamily Investors I, LLC, et al. and Report of Investigation Pursuant to Section 21(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Regarding The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc., as Overseen By Its Parent, The National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc..
Gerald is also an adjunct professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where he teaches a seminar on securities litigation and enforcement.
- Co-author, "Examining the SEC's Role In Returning Funds to Investors," New York Law Journal (Dec. 10, 2009)
- Co-author, "Balancing 'Special Issues' in PCAOB Inspections of Foreign Accounting Firms," Bloomberg Law Reports, Vol. 3, No. 39 (September 28, 2009)
- Co-author, "An Analysis Of SEC V. Rorech," SecuritiesLaw360 (Aug. 12, 2009)
- Co-author, "Robert Khuzami Speaks: On His First 100 Days as Division Director, and the Future of the Enforcement Division," Journal of Investment Compliance (Sept. 2009)
- "Key Ruling on Timing of SEC Enforcement Actions," New York Law Journal (May 11, 2009)
- Co-author, "SEC Reuses 1981 Methods: Pleadings Lack ID of 'Tippers'," New York Law Journal, Vol. 240, No. 17 (Aug. 13, 2008)
- Co-author, "SEC Denies Own Division’s Interlocutory-Appeal Provision," New York Law Journal (Feb. 28, 2008)
- Co-author, "The Return of an Innovative SEC Enforcement Technique," New York Law Journal (Oct. 17, 2006)
- Co-author, "As Gate-Keepers, Independent Directors of Public Companies Face Additional Scrutiny and Liability in the Post-Enron/Worldcom World," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance (March 2006)
- Co-author, "Foreign Discovery in a Post-Intel World," International Securities Outlook (March 2005)
- Co-author, "Securities Regulation and Foreign Discovery Under Section 1782: Will Intel Have an Impact?," International Securities Outlook (April 2004)
- Panelist, AML Risk Management, NRS Conference, Las Vegas, Nev. (November 2009)
- Lecturer, Securities Litigation and Enforcement, Institute for U.S. Law
- Presentation, Understanding Changes in the SEC’s Regulatory Landscape, Operations and Compliance for Hedge Funds and Fund of Funds (December 2008)
- Speaker, Compliance Issues for Broker-Dealers affiliated with Investment Advisers and Hedge Funds, National Regulatory Services Fall 2008 Compliance Conference, Scottsdale, Ariz. (Oct. 31, 2008)
- Moderator, Updating Recent SEC Regulatory and State Regulatory Enforcement Developments, IQPC 5th Securities Litigation Conference, New York, N.Y. (November 2008)
- Clerk, Hon. Leonard I. Garth, United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
- Clerk, Hon. Daniel J. O’Hern, New Jersey Supreme Court
- Securities Regulation Committee
- Association of the Bar of the City of New York
- Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens, Board of Directors
- Admitted to practice in New York
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
- U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
- New York University School of Law, Juris Doctor, 1996
- Georgetown University, Bachelor of Arts, 1992