A conversation with SEC Commissioner Robert J. Jackson Jr. 

Thursday, June 28, 2018 @ 6:00pm

Stories of fortunes made through crypto-assets and “Initial Coin Offerings” (ICOs) in the local, national and international media are driving massive public interest in the emerging financial services sector known as “FinTech” (Finance and Technology), and its ever-broadening range of innovative products and new participants. Unregulated ICOs can be a wild west for investors. The DAO and SEC's recent enforcement actions improved investor protection by defining boundaries between investments and fraud. Inevitably, many crypto-assets in the US have elements of investment contracts, and need to comply with securities laws. On the other hand, FinTech and crypto-assets present a great opportunity to rethink financial services inefficiencies and reshape securities laws guided by equivalent principles, and keep the US at the forefront of innovation.

To that end, the Columbia and Harvard Clubs of Washington DC, are honored and privileged to host SEC Commissioner Robert Jackson Jr. to speak about the challenges and opportunities of new regulation as it affects financial innovation, in relation with ICOs and crypto-assets.

When: Thursday June 28, 2018; 6:00pm-6:30pm drinks/social, 6:30pm-8:00pm dinner/talk

Where: Hogan Lovells, Columbia Square, 555 Thirteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20004

Metro stop: Metro Center; Exit at 12th and F Streets. The building at the top of the escalator is your destination!

***Note: guests should report to the Hogan Lovells Reception Desk located in the lobby for an escort to the location where the event is held.

Tickets:

Harvard Club of Washington DC and ColumbiaDC members: $45, Guests: $65

The program will begin with wine, beer, and drinks, and includes a full dinner

Robert J. Jackson Jr was appointed and sworn in on January 11, 2018 to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Commissioner Jackson has extensive experience as a legal scholar, policy professional, and corporate lawyer. He was Professor of Law at Columbia Law School and Director of its Program on Corporate Law and Policy. Commissioner Jackson’s academic work has focused on corporate governance and the use of advanced data science techniques to improve transparency in securities markets. He was the founding director of Columbia Law School’s Data Lab, which used cutting-edge technology to study the reliability of corporate disclosures. Commissioner Jackson has written more than 20 articles in the nation’s most prestigious legal and economics journals. His published work includes a study shining light on trading activity before the announcement of major corporate events, the first study of the effect of mandatory disclosure required by the JOBS Act on trading by individual investors, and the first comprehensive study of CEO pay in firms owned by private equity. In 2012, Columbia Law School students honored Commissioner Jackson with the Willis L.M. Reese Prize for Excellence in Teaching . He has testified on his scholarship before the U.S. Senate, and his work was previously the subject of rule-making commentary before federal agencies, including the Federal Reserve and the SEC.

Before joining the Columbia Law School faculty in 2010, Commissioner Jackson served as a senior policy advisor at the U.S. Department of Treasury, working with Kenneth Feinberg, the Special Master for TARP Executive Compensation. In this role, he oversaw the development of policies designed to give shareholders a say on pay, improve the disclosure of executive bonuses, and encourage TARP recipients to more closely tie pay to performance. Earlier in his career, Commissioner Jackson practiced law in the executive compensation department of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. Before joining SEC, Commissioner Jackson was a Professor of Law at NYU. 

Commissioner Jackson holds two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School of Business, a master’s degree from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and a law degree from Harvard Law School. He was born in the Bronx, New York, and is a lifelong Yankees fan.