Profile details
About Melissa R. Hodgman
As one of the SEC Enforcement Division’s longest serving and highest ranking Senior Officers, Melissa Hodgman brings extensive experience in investigations, compliance, litigation and transactional support to her role as partner in the firm’s global investigations practice in Washington, DC.
At Freshfields, Melissa’s practice focuses on white collar defense, global investigations and strategic risk. With over 15 years of experience at the SEC, she handled a wide spectrum of issues, including cases involving disclosure violations and fraud, accounting fraud, cybersecurity, crypto and digital assets, national security, insider trading, FCPA, complex financial products, market structure issues, market manipulation issues and more.
Melissa has been involved in over 1,800 matters that have resulted in hundreds of civil injunctive and administrative actions, comprising numerous first-of-their-kind and key matters including:
- SEC v. SolarWinds (Cybersecurity Financial Fraud/Issuer Disclosure)
- E&Y Test Cheating; KPMG PCAOB Inspection Theft and Test Cheating (Gatekeeper)
- In re Momentus, et al./SEC v. Kokorich (a SPAC matter involving national security issues)
- SEC v. Filed Under Seal (10b5-1/Insider Trading and TRO)
- In re Compass Minerals; SEC v. Vale S.A. (ESG/Financial Fraud/Issuer Disclosure)
- In re United States Parcel Service, Inc. (Financial Disclosure/Accounting Fraud)
Prior to joining the SEC, Melissa was an associate at an international law firm in their litigation and regulatory practice.
Qualifications
Education
- Georgetown University Law Center (LL.M. with distinction in Securities and Financial Regulation)
- Georgetown University Law Center (J.D., magna cum laude, Order of the Coif Administrative Editor, The Tax Lawyer)
- Georgetown University School of Foreign Service (B.S.)
Admitted in
- New York
- Massachusetts
Court admissions
- United States Supreme Court