Stevens & Lee announced this week that former New Jersey Bureau of Securities Enforcement Chief Richard C. Szuch has joined the firm’s Litigation Department in the Bergen County office.
Szuch is an experienced trial lawyer who has worked in the financial services arena for decades. He provides strategic counsel to regional and national investment advisers, broker dealers, banks and insurance companies regarding risk management, regulatory obligations, internal investigations and litigation/arbitration/regulatory defense.
“We are pleased to have such a talented and well-respected lawyer join our platform,” Bill Thornton, president and CEO of Stevens & Lee, said Monday. “Richard is highly regarded in the financial services space and brings a distinguished record as a first-chair securities trial litigator and as a public servant. His unique combination of professional experience will assist us in continuing to provide the highest value to our financial services clients.”
Prior to joining Stevens & Lee, Szuch served four years as the Enforcement Chief for the New Jersey Bureau of Securities and acted as the Enforcement Unit’s lead interrogator. While there, he oversaw hundreds of investigations involving offering fraud, misuse of funds, fee disclosures, point of sale disclosure, suitability/regulation best Interest, digital assets and senior exploitation, among others.
On a national scale, Szuch participated in multi-state securities fraud investigations and collaborated with federal and state criminal and regulatory agencies to investigate and prosecute widespread frauds.
Before working in Enforcement, Szuch had 25 years of experience advising and defending the financial services industry. He steered the defense strategies and was the first-chair trial lawyer in some of the largest FINRA securities arbitrations in the country, including cases related to the fallout from the 2000 and 2008 market crashes and Puerto Rico’s debt repricing in 2013.
Szuch earned his J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and his B.A. from Emory University.
Stevens & Lee and its affiliated companies have grown substantially in New Jersey since the firm established a Bergen County office in 2020, adding professionals both there and in its Princeton location, and expanding its litigation, intellectual property, state and local tax, immigration, and estates and trusts capabilities.
Last month, Stevens & Lee Public Affairs added former New Jersey Senator Bob Gordon and Dennis Culnan to its ranks.
About Stevens & Lee
Stevens & Lee is a 185-lawyer full-service law firm representing clients throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and across the country from 16 offices in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, and Florida. The firm is the cornerstone of The Stevens & Lee Companies, a platform of affiliated professional service firms that provide a full range of legal, investment banking, financial advisory, insurance risk management and government consulting services.
