Former SEC Special Counsel Brian Soares Joins Carlton Fields’ Business Transactions Practice

TAMPA, FL – Brian Soares has joined Carlton Fields’ Business Transactions Practice as a shareholder in the firm’s Tampa office. He was most recently special counsel at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Division of Corporation Finance, Office of Mergers and Acquisitions.

Soares counsels public and private companies and their boards with respect to federal securities laws, corporate governance, and capital raising. His practice focuses on SEC reporting and compliance, securities regulation, shareholder activism and engagement, corporate governance, and capital markets transactions, including mergers and acquisitions. Drawing on his experience across multiple roles within the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance, Soares serves as primary outside corporate and securities counsel to numerous public companies. He has experience representing companies of varying sizes, from newly public companies to blue-chip Fortune 100 organizations, and across a variety of industries, with a focus on life sciences and technology companies.

“We are thrilled to welcome Brian to the firm,” said Jordan August, chair of the firm’s Business Transactions Practice. “His experience with the SEC combined with his time in private practice will serve as a vital resource for our public and private company clients looking to navigate a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape.”

At the SEC, Soares reviewed a wide range of securities offerings, M&A transactions, and proxy contests. He also worked on various rulemaking initiatives and provided interpretive advice on various securities matters. Prior to his most recent tenure at the SEC, Soares was a partner in the capital markets and public companies group of an international law firm. Earlier in his career, he served in the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance Disclosure Review Program as an attorney-advisor examining periodic reports, proxy statements, and registration statements by companies in the semiconductor, technology, and medical device industries.

“Tampa is such a dynamic city for public companies, and I was looking for a firm well-positioned in the region to take advantage of that,” said Soares. “Carlton Fields is in a league of its own, and I look forward to combining my experience with firm resources to bring my practice to the next level.”

Soares obtained his J.D., cum laude, from American University Washington College of Law and a B.A., with distinction, from Boston University.