Dean M. Conway

Dean Conway is a seasoned regulatory and trial lawyer with more than two decades of experience in complex securities enforcement, litigation, and regulatory compliance. While serving as an assistant chief litigation counsel at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Dean first-chaired all aspects of high-profile enforcement actions that encompassed the entire scope of the Division of Enforcement’s program, including public company disclosure, accounting and internal controls violations, investment advisers, broker-dealers, insider trading, cybersecurity, and unregistered offerings involving crypto assets. 

During his tenure, Dean appeared as lead trial counsel in federal court and administrative proceedings nationwide. His enforcement experience includes numerous parallel criminal investigations with multiple U.S. criminal authorities, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, cross-border investigations with international regulators such as the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), state securities regulators such as the New Hampshire Bureau of Securities Regulation and the Massachusetts Securities Division, and self-regulatory organizations.

He also advised on investigative strategy, charging decisions, and litigation risk, including providing pre-filing guidance to the SEC’s Asset Management Unit in matters arising under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. In addition, Dean advised on enforcement matters and regulatory policy while serving on the executive staff as counsel to an SEC commissioner. 

In recognition of his SEC service, Dean was awarded the Chairman’s Award for Excellence, several Director’s Awards (most recently in 2023 for his work on SEC v. Vale and the Hafnium cyberattack), and the Ellen B. Ross Award for exemplary commitment, enthusiasm, and performance in enforcement of the federal securities laws.

With deep regulatory securities experience in a rapidly evolving enforcement landscape, Dean provides clients with strategic, high-quality, and practical counsel. His firsthand knowledge of SEC statutes, rules, and processes — combined with his extensive background in investigations, litigation, and regulatory decision-making — enables him to efficiently guide clients through novel, complex, and sophisticated matters.

• Co-lead counsel in the investigation and action against crypto company and its executives related to a crypto asset offering fraud. SEC v. SafeMoon LLC.
• Lead counsel in the investigation and action against CEO in first-ever Rule 10b5-1 plan insider trading case. SEC v. Peizer.
• Co-lead counsel in the investigation and action against a foreign issuer related to dam safety disclosures resulting in a $55.9 million settlement. SEC v. Vale.
• Lead counsel in the investigation and subpoena enforcement action related to a threat actor’s intrusion into law firm’s computer network. SEC v. Covington & Burling LLP.
• Co-lead counsel in in the investigation and action against a foreign issuer and its former CEO and CFO related to accounting disclosures under international accounting standards. SEC v. Rio Tinto.
• Co-lead counsel in the action against a former Lehman Brothers broker and his accomplices for insider trading. SEC v. Devlin.
• Lead counsel in in the investigation and action against a California-based couple in a nearly billion-dollar Ponzi-scheme involving alternative energy tax credits. SEC v. Carpoff.
• Lead counsel in an emergency action to freeze assets of unknown purchasers related to trading before a public announcement that a French company would acquire the outstanding shares of Global Industries Ltd. SEC v. One or More Unknown Purchasers of Securities of Global Industries Ltd.
• Lead counsel in the investigation and emergency action against an investment adviser who raised $74 million in five offshore funds and diverted investors' money into his brother-in-law's Montauk beach resort project. SEC v. Callahan.
• Co-lead counsel in the investigation and action against former CEO and CFO of Kmart Corp. related to material misrepresentations and omissions about the company's liquidity in the management's discussion and analysis (MD&A) section of its Form 10-Q. SEC v. Conaway.

• "Charting the Uncharted: Private Investments in the Retail Market," National Association for Fixed Annuities (April 29, 2026)
• "The Regulatory Landscape for Insurance Carriers and Producers Selling Securities," 2026 IRI Annual Conference, Tampa, FL (April 23, 2026)
• “Ethics for Advisers: Compliance With Fiduciary Standards,” 2026 Investment Adviser Compliance Conference, Investment Adviser Association, Washington, D.C. (March 20, 2026) 
• "What Public Companies and Their Boards Need to Know Under New SEC Leadership," Carlton Fields (November 18, 2025)
• "Recent SEC and FINRA Enforcement Developments," ALI CLE Conference on Life Insurance Products, Washington, D.C. (November 14, 2025)
• "Regulatory Examinations - Investment Advisers," COMPLYConnect 2025, Miami Beach, FL (October 15, 2025)
• "The New SEC Regulatory and Enforcement Landscape," 2025 IRI Annual Conference, Tampa, FL (March 27, 2025)

• U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, D.C.
  • Assistant Chief Litigation Counsel, Division of Enforcement
  • Senior Counsel, Division of Enforcement
  • Senior Counsel, Office of General Counsel
• Associate Attorney, Proskauer Rose LLP, Boca Raton, FL
• Associate Attorney, Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC, Boca Raton, FL
• Law Clerk to the Honorable Elizabeth V. Hallanan, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia