Susan Schroeder

Practice Areas

As the former head of enforcement and Management Committee member at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), Susan Schroeder has deep insight into the priorities and procedures of the regulatory bodies that govern the financial services industry, including the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), FINRA, exchanges, and state securities regulators. In addition, Ms. Schroeder calls on her extensive experience overseeing thousands of regulatory investigations to assist and advise clients in all aspects of internal investigations, including detecting potential misconduct, complying with reporting obligations and effectively remediating systemic problems.

While at FINRA, Ms. Schroeder prioritized coordination with other financial regulators to minimize costly and inefficient regulatory duplication. She led the transformation of FINRA’s Enforcement program to create a unified department with clear priorities, and was the primary architect of FINRA’s updated policy regarding cooperation credit. She has in-depth experience regarding supervisory and anti–money laundering violations, market access, market conduct rules, customer protection, and disclosure violations. Ms. Schroeder draws on this insight and more than a decade of experience in private practice to advise broker-dealers and other clients investigating potential issues and responding to inquiries from the SEC, self-regulatory organizations (SROs), and state securities regulators. In addition, Ms. Schroeder provides counseling on current issues shaping the financial industry, including Regulation BI, the impact of CAT, and shifting financial and operational requirements.

Ms. Schroeder’s significant experience extends beyond securities enforcement; as a former executive responsible for managing a national organization, she has worked directly with boards of directors and C-suite executives to advise on all aspects of enterprise risk, including employee relations and personnel management, government relations, and media strategy. Ms. Schroeder has also been a frequent public speaker and an active leader in diversity initiatives.

Ms. Schroeder rejoined WilmerHale in 2020 after eight years at FINRA, where she served as the head of enforcement from 2017–2019 and the deputy head of enforcement from 2011–2017. Ms. Schroeder initially joined WilmerHale in 2004, and represented investment banks, investment advisers, broker-dealers, public companies, hedge funds and individuals in a wide range of enforcement matters before the SEC, SROs and state securities authorities.