The Los Angeles office of global law firm K&L Gates LLP has added Leslie A. Hakala as a partner in the government enforcement practice. Hakala joins from the Los Angeles Regional Office of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), where she was Senior Counsel with the Enforcement Division.

At the SEC, Hakala was responsible for planning and conducting investigations into alleged violations of a wide range of federal laws; recommending potential SEC enforcement actions; negotiating settlements; and litigating matters including pleadings and discovery and evidentiary hearings. She has extensive experience working on high-profile matters with international, federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and other regulatory agencies, self-regulatory organizations, financial institutions, private equity funds, and both public and private companies. She has worked on significant matters including insider trading, false financial statements and other false public disclosures, market manipulation, and fraudulent acts by broker dealers, investment advisers, and placement agents.

Among her numerous distinctions, Hakala served as law clerk to United States Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor; as a Bristow Fellow in the Office of the Solicitor General at the United States Department of Justice; and as law clerk to Judge Alex Kozinski of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

“We are thrilled to welcome Leslie to our firm,” said Paul W. Sweeney, Jr., administrative partner of K&L Gates’ Los Angeles office. “With her extensive knowledge of, and experience with, SEC enforcement operations, Leslie’s addition provides a substantial boost to our government enforcement practice here in Los Angeles and will also benefit our clients domestically and around the world.”

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