Seward & Kissel LLP, a leading national law firm, is pleased to announce that Philip Moustakis has been promoted to partner. The firm has also promoted Kevin Cassidy to counsel. The promotions were made effective January 1, 2023.

“After years as a highly respected enforcement attorney with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Philip has made a seamless transition to private practice,” said Seward & Kissel managing partner Jim Cofer. “He remains a leading securities enforcement lawyer and continues to establish himself as an authority on the emerging issue of cryptocurrency-related enforcement. We are proud of his excellent work and excited to call him a partner at Seward & Kissel.”

Moustakis, promoted from counsel to partner, practices in the firm’s Government Enforcement & Internal Investigations Group and Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Group. He joined Seward & Kissel in 2019, after spending more than a decade in the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, where he served a lengthy tenure in the Asset Management Unit, investigating and prosecuting matters involving advisers to private funds and mutual fund complexes. He also initiated the SEC’s involvement in cryptocurrency, bringing the agency’s first bitcoin-related enforcement action, and was a founding member of the agency’s Cyber Unit. Before his work at the SEC, Moustakis served as an assistant attorney general in the Investor Protection Bureau of the New York Attorney General’s Office.

Moustakis has extensive experience with SEC enforcement and regulatory risks faced by investment advisers, private fund managers, and other asset managers. Moustakis represents clients in SEC investigations; provides proactive advice and counseling to clients on regulatory and compliance risks and challenges; supports clients through SEC examinations; and directs internal investigations for them. He has handled matters involving insider trading, conflicts of interest, valuation, market manipulation, ESG products, alternative data and research providers, expert consultants/networks, crypto asset offerings, nonfungible tokens (NFTs), crypto trading platforms, compliance and supervisory failures, and whistleblowers. Moustakis received a B.A. in philosophy, cum laude, from Purchase College and a J.D. from New York University School of Law.

Cassidy, promoted from associate to counsel, is a member of the firm’s Investment Management Group. He primarily represents institutional and emerging managers of private investment funds, including hedge funds, private equity funds, credit funds, venture capital funds, and real estate funds, on formation, fundraising, regulatory compliance, and other day-to-day legal and operational issues. He also represents wealth and investment advisers. In addition, he represents institutional investors on investments in private investment funds and advises on a wide range of business combinations in the asset management industry. Cassidy holds a B.A., magna cum laude, from The George Washington University and a J.D., magna cum laude, from Albany Law School. He first joined the firm as a summer associate in 2012.

About Seward & Kissel LLP

Seward & Kissel LLP, founded in 1890, is a leading U.S. law firm with offices in New York City and Washington, D.C., with particular expertise in the financial services, investment management, banking, and shipping industries. The firm is well known for its representation of investment advisers and related investment funds, broker-dealers, major commercial banks, institutional investors, and transportation companies (particularly in the shipping area). Its practices primarily focus on corporate, M&A, securities, litigation (including white collar), restructuring/bankruptcy, real estate, regulatory, tax, employment, and ERISA for clients seeking legal expertise in these areas.

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