Mr. Levan is a former senior official of the SEC’s Philadelphia Regional Office, where he prosecuted all types of securities violations and obtained millions of dollars in penalties and judgments.  He currently concentrates his practice on the representation of individuals and entities under investigation by the SEC (his former employer) and FINRA (his frequent adversary).  Mr. Levan takes a hands-on approach to defending investigations, using the experience he gained as a federal prosecutor to obtain the best possible results for clients.   The first choice is always to convince the regulator to terminate the investigation without further prosecution.  Where that is impossible, Mr. Levan uses his considerable skills as a seasoned trial attorney, having tried over 75 cases to verdict, to vindicate his client’s position.  In short, he is ready and able to go the distance.  He is also well-versed in handling parallel civil and criminal proceedings where different branches of the government investigate simultaneously.  Finally, Mr. Levan is experienced in all phases of private securities litigation and regularly represents parties in such actions.

Mr. Levan is well-versed in the regulatory frameworks governing broker-dealers, investment advisers and hedge funds.  He regularly counsels broker-dealers and registered investment advisors on their duties and obligations under the federal securities laws and lectures and writes broadly on these topics.  Mr. Levan prides himself on the many long-term relationships he has built with registrants who consider him a trusted source for regulatory advice and guidance.  Mr. Levan is highly familiar with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, FINRA’s rules and regulations and applicable state law.   Mr. Levan’s regulatory clients range from individual financial planners to multi-billion dollar asset managers.  He is dedicated to providing the same high level of representation to all clients no matter the size or type.

Criminal proceedings are high risk/high stakes undertakings to which Mr. Levan brings over thirty years of experience – as a former criminal prosecutor (U.S. Attorney’s Office, Washington, DC), as a former civil prosecutor (SEC) and as a long-time criminal defense lawyer.  With over sixty criminal trials to his credit, Mr. Levan is adept at handling all phases of a criminal case from inception through the grand jury stage to trial.  As with civil investigations, the goal in handling a criminal case is to convince the government to terminate the investigation at the earliest stage possible.  If the government insists on pursuing the matter, Mr. Levan will seek immunity from prosecution whenever appropriate.  When that is impossible, he will vigorously defend his clients to the fullest extent possible, whether through a contested trial or negotiated plea.  Mr. Levan prides himself on his no-nonsense approach to all litigation.