Best Lawyers in New York, United States for Securities Regulation
New York City is one of the most active and complex legal markets in the world. With a dense network of courts, regulations and high-stakes legal matters across every industry, navigating the legal system here requires more than just any attorney—it requires the right one.
Whether you're dealing with a corporate dispute, a criminal charge, or a personal legal issue, experience matters. So does reputation. That’s why this directory exists.
The Best Lawyers New York directory offers a streamlined, trustworthy way to start your search. Every attorney in New York listed has been recognized by their peers for professional excellence and the platform is designed to help you filter by legal need, review credentials and take the next step with confidence.
How the Directory Works
This page serves as a targeted directory for users looking to find a lawyer in New York. Each attorney listed has been recognized in the most recent edition of Best Lawyers—a distinction based entirely on peer nominations and evaluations.
You won’t find ads or sponsored listings here. Instead, you can search by:
- Practice area: filter by the type of legal help you need
- Location: narrow results to your borough or region
- Attorney name: if you’re looking to verify someone you’ve already heard of
Each attorney profile includes a clear summary of their experience, focus areas and credentials—giving you the information you need to make a confident decision.
Legal Help by Practice Area
New York City residents’ and visitors’ legal needs are wide-ranging and so are the attorneys listed in this directory. You can quickly narrow your search by legal focus. This directory includes attorneys who concentrate on some of the most in-demand areas of law in New York, such as:
- Business and commercial law
- Criminal defense and investigations
- Employment and labor disputes
- Real estate and construction law
- Divorce, custody and family matters
- Immigration issues
- Personal injury and malpractice
- Estate planning and probate
Why These Attorneys Are Listed
Every attorney on this page has earned a place through Best Lawyers’ rigorous annual peer-review process—one of the most trusted selection methods in the legal profession.
It’s recognition by fellow attorneys who know the work and understand what excellence looks like. Attorneys are nominated by peers and then evaluated on legal skill, professional conduct and client outcomes. Thousands of lawyers participate each year, providing confidential assessments within their specific practice areas.
To be listed, an attorney must:
- Be nominated by another legal professional
- Receive consistently high marks from peers in their practice area
- Maintain a strong track record of ethical behavior and client success
Only those who stand out among their peers are selected. And only those chosen in the most recent edition of the Best Lawyers awards appear in this directory, ensuring that every listing reflects current, active recognition.
Attorneys also manage their own profiles, so the information you’re reviewing is not only credible, but current. You’ll find clear details about each attorney’s practice focus, background and achievements—everything you need to make an informed decision.
This page is built to support your search—not get in the way of it. Whether you're starting from scratch or narrowing down a list of top attorneys in New York, this directory is a practical, no-frills tool to help you move forward.
Start Your Search
If you're trying to find a lawyer in New York, this directory offers a trusted, peer-reviewed way to start. Whether you're hiring for the first time or looking to verify someone's standing, the attorneys listed here have been selected for a reason.
Begin your search by selecting your legal focus. Then explore profiles, compare qualifications and connect with an attorney in New York who’s already earned the trust of the legal community.
Practice Area Overview
Clients also need advice in investigations and enforcement actions concerning possible violations of the securities laws. These investigations may be conducted by the SEC, by state securities commissions or attorneys general, FINRA and other self-regulatory organizations (including, for accounting firms, the PCAOB), and federal or state criminal prosecutors. Securities regulatory lawyers may represent individuals or entities in these inquiries, and must often coordinate with other law firms in industry-wide investigations. Securities regulatory lawyers conduct internal investigations for companies or their boards of directors as well as regulatory entities, including individual, class, and derivative actions, and in arbitrations before FINRA, JAMS, AAA, and international arbitration forums.
Securities regulatory lawyers must understand the relevant legal and regulatory issues and the different products and services subject to securities regulation. These products and services include common and preferred stock; corporate, government, agency, municipal and convertible bonds; open-end and closed-end mutual funds; exchange-traded funds and notes; structured products; asset-backed securities; private funds; separately managed accounts; variable annuities; 529 plans; warrants; options; futures; swaps; commodity pools; bank collective trust funds; and insurance separate accounts. Securities regulatory lawyers also must understand the roles of floor-based and electronic exchanges, dark pool and other alternative trading systems, over-the-counter, "upstairs" and private placement markets, the clearance and settlement utilities, and the rules relating to all of these markets. Securities regulatory lawyers must understand how to conduct cross-border transactions consistent with the laws and regulations of the relevant jurisdictions. Finally, securities regulatory lawyers must stay current on legal, regulatory, and enforcement developments of the SEC, CFTC, FINRA, MSRB, PCAOB, the securities and futures exchanges, the states, and, post-Dodd-Frank, the Federal Reserve Board, FSOC, and other banking regulators.
Corporate Law & Commercial Litigation Legal Guide 2025
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Steve Crimmins defends clients in investigations, litigation, ADR and settlement negotiations involving the Securities and Exchange Commission and other financial services regulators. He also litigates private securities and other commercial cases, leads internal investigations, and counsels on financial regulatory matters. In addition to client representation, he chairs securities bar groups and has testified twice before Congress on SEC-related issues. He writes, speaks on professional pane...
Jeff is an associate in the Business Transactions Group, where he focuses on corporate transactional work, including middle market M&A and investment management transactions. Jeff’s practice covers a broad range of matters for clients, including corporate formation, corporate governance and drafting shareholder agreements, operating agreements, confidentiality agreements and other arrangements. Prior to joining Seward & Kissel, Jeff was an associate in the Corporate & Securi...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.