Former SEC Assistant Director Sarah Mallett Joins Kirkland

Kirkland & Ellis is pleased to announce that Sarah Mallett has joined the Firm as a partner in the Government, Regulatory & Internal Investigations Practice Group.

Ms. Mallett most recently served as an Assistant Director in the Enforcement Division at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Fort Worth Regional Office. She has experience representing public companies, private equity firms, asset managers, financial institutions and other entities and individuals facing government, regulatory or internal investigations, examinations and enforcement proceedings.

“Sarah is an exceptional enforcement lawyer and leader in the investigations and regulatory space, and a great fit for our premier government, regulatory and internal investigations team,” said Asheesh Goel, a Government, Regulatory & Internal Investigations partner and member of the Firm’s Executive Committee.

Among many awards for her work, in 2022 Ms. Mallett was an individual recipient of the SEC’s Ellen B. Ross Award for “exemplary commitment, enthusiasm and performance” and a team recipient of the Chair’s Award for Investor Protection.

Ms. Mallett graduated from the University of Texas McCombs School of Business and Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law.

In addition to hiring Ms. Mallett in the enforcement space, Kirkland has recently hired such partners as Jacquelyn Kasulis, acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Nader Salehi, one of the nation’s top securities enforcement defense attorneys; John Lausch, former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Erin Nealy Cox, former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Kirkland’s Government, Regulatory & Internal Investigations Practice Group handles the primary and collateral consequences of government investigations, whether pre-investigation prevention and mitigation, internal investigations, defense of a government investigation or resolution through settlement or trial. The internationally recognized team includes former senior enforcement professionals from the SEC, U.S. Department of Justice and other governmental agencies.