PROFESSOR SARAH WILLIAMS BRINGS NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED SECURITIES LAWYER TO DICKINSON LAW
October 2020 — Professor Sarah Williams recently brought nationally recognized securities lawyer, Fiona Philip, to virtually visit Dickinson Law. Philip discussed the practice of federal securities law with students and other members of the Dickinson Law community.
Philip and Professor Williams were colleagues in the Enforcement Division of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). During the discussion, Philip described her work at the SEC, as a partner in a large Washington, D.C. law firm, and as a principal at one of the nation’s largest accounting firms. Philip described investigating potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act on behalf of a government agency, then serving as outside counsel to corporations under investigation for such violations. The uncertainty Philip experienced as a law firm attorney during a recession resonated strongly with Dickinson Law students contemplating law firm practice amid the economic strain of a global pandemic.
Professor Sarah Williams currently serves as an Assistant Professor at Penn State Dickinson Law, where her research focuses on the intersection of federal securities regulation and accounting. Prior to joining Dickinson Law, Professor Williams practiced law as a securities regulator. She was Deputy Director at the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and Associate General Counsel at NASD, now FINRA. She spent several years at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, serving as staff attorney and branch chief in its Division of Enforcement, then as Counsel to SEC Commissioner Isaac C. Hunt, Jr. Professor Williams began her legal career as an associate at Arnold & Porter in Washington, D.C.