Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP announced today that William H. Hinman, most recently the Director of the Division of Corporation Finance at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, has returned to the Firm as a Partner in its Washington, D.C. office.
“We are excited to welcome Bill back to the Firm. He is universally respected for his exemplary leadership throughout his tenure at the SEC and the depth and diversity of the advisory experience he has developed throughout his distinguished career,” said Bill Dougherty, Chairman of Simpson Thacher’s Executive Committee. “Bill’s knowledge and insight will be of great benefit to our clients as they navigate the evolving and increasingly complex regulatory landscape.”
At Simpson Thacher, Bill will focus broadly on capital markets and mergers and acquisition transactions subject to the purview of the SEC, and will advise public companies and their boards and senior management on governance and other corporate matters.
During his tenure at the SEC, Bill led the Division of Corporation Finance on a wide range of issues vital to the success of the nation’s capital markets, including spearheading nearly 50 policy and rulemaking initiatives designed to strengthen public markets, enhance protections for “Main Street” investors and broaden access to capital markets for small businesses, among many other areas. He also oversaw the Division’s efforts to modernize and improve the framework for securities offerings and public company disclosures, streamline the initial public offering review process, address the large increase in SPAC offerings and tailor public company requirements for all issuers, leading to substantial benefits for investors and public market participants. Bill also spearheaded the agency’s efforts to harmonize the exempt offering framework and to improve the efficiency and integrity of the proxy process. In addition, he provided critical and timely guidance to market participants on emerging issues ranging from innovations such as direct listings and digital assets to questions arising from the impact of COVID-19, the effects of Brexit, the replacement of LIBOR and the disclosure risks related to foreign issuers and emerging markets.
“I am very pleased to return to Simpson Thacher,” said Bill Hinman. “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve our nation as the Director of the Division of Corporation Finance at the SEC over the past three years, and I look forward to again guiding clients as they face the challenges of the changing regulatory landscape and pursue growth through the public markets.”
Prior to joining the SEC in May 2017, Bill was a Partner in Simpson Thacher’s Palo Alto office and was widely recognized as a leader in counseling public and private companies—particularly in the technology sector—and advised on numerous IPOs, including those of Google, Facebook and Alibaba. He received his B.A. from Michigan State University, with honors, and his J.D. from Cornell University Law School, where he was a member of the Editorial Board of the Cornell Law Review. He is a fellow of the American Bar Foundation and an Adviser on The American Law Institute’s Restatement of the Law, Corporate Governance.
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