Financial Services Attorney Jennifer Connors Joins Holland & Knight in New York
NEW YORK (April 9, 2018) – Holland & Knight has expanded its Financial Services Practice Group with the addition of Jennifer Connors as a partner in the firm's New York office. Ms. Connors represents broker-dealers, financial technology (FinTech) companies and other market participants with respect to securities law and market regulation issues, with an emphasis on broker-dealer regulation and compliance requirements, trading rules, alternative trading systems, electronic trading, cybersecurity, sales practices and anti-money laundering rules. Most recently, she was part of the Financial Services and Products practice at Alston & Bird in New York.
Ms. Connors' extensive industry experience enables her to advise financial service firms on a wide array of regulatory and legal matters facing broker-dealers and FinTech companies. She served as general counsel and chief compliance officer for REDI Holdings LLC, a leading financial trading technology firm, where she was responsible for all aspects of the firm's legal and broker-dealer compliance functions globally. She also spent several years as global head of brokerage compliance at E*TRADE Financial and has more than 20 years of experience in legal, compliance and consulting roles at global financial services firms and innovative technology-oriented companies, including Nomura, Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs, ConvergEX and ITG.
"Jennifer's impressive background in legal and compliance at some of the premier companies in the industry makes her ideally suited to counsel our broker-dealer clients regarding the myriad SEC, FINRA and other regulatory issues that impact them," said Joe Sirven, co-chair of Holland & Knight's Financial Services Practice Group. "With her strong roster of clients and excellent contacts, she'll be a significant contributor to the continued growth of our financial services team."
"Holland & Knight is among the top law firms serving the financial services industry," said Ms. Connors. "One of its greatest strengths is the collaborative way in which it approaches clients, which was a major factor in my decision to join the firm."
Ms. Connors received a J.D. degree from Fordham University School of Law and a B.A. degree from the State University of New York at Albany. She has qualified for several professional licenses recognized in the securities industry, including Series 7, 8, 14, 24 and 63.
With more than 200 members throughout the firm, Holland & Knight's Financial Services Practice Group assists borrowers and lenders with all of their legal needs. With lawyers located in almost every major U.S. market, the team regularly advises financial industry clients on their most sophisticated transactions, including asset-based lending, syndicated loans, structured finance, public finance, derivatives, capital markets, insurance, project finance and real estate finance. The team also includes skilled litigators and counsel in the area of white collar defense and regulatory compliance.