Hilary Sunghee Seo
Senior Counsel
New York
Hilary Sunghee Seo
Senior Counsel
New York
Contact Details
Hilary is a Senior Counsel and core member of Allen & Overy’s U.S. Financial Services Regulatory Practice. Her practice focuses on advising domestic and international financial institutions, including securities firms, banks, private wealth management businesses, asset managers, and FinTech and digital asset firms, in assessing the impact of financial regulations on their business activities and strategies and on their regulatory and compliance obligations.
Hilary regularly advises on broker-dealer and OTC derivatives regulatory matters, including on issues relating to registration, licensing, change of control and business expansions; supervision and governance; marketing and distribution issues, particularly as they relate to cross-border activities; the SEC’s and FINRA’s advertising and communication rules; trading and reporting; and on all facets of ongoing compliance matters. She also advises on financial regulatory matters related to cryptocurrency and other digital asset activities.
Prior to joining Allen & Overy, Hilary practiced as a transactional and financial regulatory attorney at leading U.S. law firms. She is a graduate of Harvard University and Columbia Law School.
Expertise
Practices
Sectors
Qualifications
Professional
Academic
Columbia University School of Law, New York, Juris Doctor
Journal: Columbia Law Review
Harvard University, Economics, magna cum laude
Other noteworthy experience
Advising:
- Several financial institutions in seeking and obtaining regulatory approvals in connection with acquisitions or divestitures of asset and wealth management businesses
- Several financial institutions on SEC and CFTC regulatory issues in connection with their investments in technology and digital assets businesses
- A global financial services firm on FINRA and SEC regulatory issues in connection with its acquisition of a leading alternative trading system (ATS)
- Several wealth management firms in connection with the formation of a new broker-dealer and registration with FINRA
- A leading market maker in connection with its global digital assets initiative
- A crypto exchange in connection with a new swap/security-based swap business initiative
- Multiple financial institutions on security-based swap dealer implementation issues, including on the regulations for margin for uncleared swaps and security-based swaps and substituted compliance
- A global markets infrastructure firm on SEC clearing agency requirements relating to security-based swaps
- Several non-U.S. private banks and wealth management businesses on a wide range of matters related to the distribution and marketing of wealth management products and services
- Several financial institutions on regulatory issues in connection with the outsourcing of middle- and back-office functions
Expertise
Practices
Sectors
Qualifications
Professional
Academic
Columbia University School of Law, New York, Juris Doctor
Journal: Columbia Law Review
Harvard University, Economics, magna cum laude
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