WASHINGTON, DC (Sept. 8, 2026) – Venable LLP announced today that Caroline A. Crenshaw, a former commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has joined the firm as a partner in the Washington, DC office. At Venable, Crenshaw will draw on her widely recognized industry leadership and more than 15 years of experience at the SEC and in private practice, including almost six years as a commissioner, to help clients anticipate and respond to regulatory developments and navigate novel or complex securities issues.
"Caroline brings a rare combination of legal judgment, regulatory experience, and strategic insight," said Larry Norton, chair of Venable's Government Division. "Her arrival significantly expands Venable's capabilities in helping clients in the financial services industry with their most consequential regulatory and policy challenges. We are delighted to welcome her to Venable."
As one of five presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed SEC commissioners, Crenshaw helped direct the Commission's policy, enforcement, and rulemaking responsibilities as it oversaw more than $150 trillion in U.S. securities markets. She helped shape significant agency actions affecting public companies, broker-dealers, investment advisers, investment funds, exchanges, accounting firms, and investors. Her work encompassed securities law and compliance, regulatory examinations, rulemaking, enforcement matters, and interagency and industry engagement. She advised on matters ranging from market structure rules and Regulation Best Interest to exchange-traded fund, liquidity and custody rules to executive compensation rules, public company disclosures, and the proxy system.
Before becoming a commissioner, Crenshaw served in senior legal positions within the SEC, including the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (now Division of Examinations) and as counsel to Commissioners Robert J. Jackson, Jr. and Kara M. Stein. She counseled on examinations, advised on rulemaking and enforcement matters, and developed a comprehensive understanding of how the Commission evaluates emerging issues, develops policy, and initiates agency action. Before joining the SEC, she represented public companies, corporate officers and directors, insurance companies, broker-dealers, and investment advisors in securities investigations and enforcement matters.
"As financial markets continue to evolve, clients are confronting new questions driven by changing regulation, technological innovation, and shifting market dynamics," said Crenshaw. "I'm excited to join Venable's exceptional team to help clients address those challenges with practical, strategic advice."
Crenshaw also served as a major in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General's Corps. She earned her J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Minnesota Law School and her A.B., cum laude, from Harvard College. Her arrival significantly expands Venable's capabilities in securities, regulatory, and government in Washington, DC.
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Venable LLP is an American Lawyer Global 100 law firm headquartered in Washington, DC that serves as primary counsel to a worldwide clientele of large and mid-sized organizations, nonprofits, high-net-worth entrepreneurs, and other individuals. With more than 900 professionals in California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, New York, Virginia, and Washington, DC, the firm strategically advances its clients' objectives in the United States and around the globe. Venable advises clients on a broad range of business and regulatory law, legislative affairs, complex litigation, and the full range of intellectual property disciplines. For more information, please visit our website.