Accomplished enforcement and litigation attorney Yoon Hi Greene – a 23-year veteran of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York – has joined WilmerHale as a partner in its industry leading Financial Institutions Group.
Greene’s practice, based in the firm’s New York office, will focus on helping banks and other financial institutions navigate regulatory and compliance requirements and advising on best practices relating to risk management, corporate governance, and internal controls. Her work for clients will include advising on inquiries from regulatory and government authorities in connection with investigations and enforcement actions, as well as overseeing internal investigations and reviews.
Before joining WilmerHale, she served as Deputy General Counsel at the New York Fed, head of the Enforcement, Litigation, Investigations and Corporate Affairs Division and, from April 2022, she served as Acting Co-General General Counsel of the New York Fed.
Greene’s work at the New York Fed included investigations of financial institutions and institution-affiliated parties. Throughout her career, Greene handled numerous multiagency, international enforcement actions relating to deficiencies in risk management, internal controls, and compliance programs, and violations of law and regulations, including the Bank Secrecy Act, OFAC sanctions, anti-money laundering laws, and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. In addition, she also oversaw internal investigations, advised on compliance issues, managed all litigation matters, and handled Congressional and government oversight requests.
Greene joined the New York Fed in 1999 as a staff attorney. She later became vice president in the Enforcement, Litigation, Investigations and Corporate Affairs Division, then associate general counsel and senior vice president, before rising in 2016 to deputy general counsel and senior vice president.
“I am delighted to welcome Yoon Hi to the firm,” said Stephanie Avakian, chair of WilmerHale’s Securities and Financial Services Department. “Yoon Hi’s impressive breadth of experience dealing with complex Federal Reserve System enforcement issues makes her an extraordinary and valuable resource for our clients and within the firm.”
“Yoon Hi’s practice complements many others within our firm,” said Franca Harris Gutierrez, chair of WilmerHale’s Financial Institutions Group and co-chair of the Securities and Financial Regulation Practice. “We expect a significant increase in enforcement activity and her experience complements our regulatory practices, and further broadens our bench.”
“I am thrilled to be joining such a reputable and distinguished firm as WilmerHale,” said Greene. “I am excited to bring my years of experience to the Financial Institutions Group and look forward to helping the firm further build out its regulatory and government facing practice in the New York office. I could not think of a better place to continue working with banks and other financial institutions to help them maintain safe and sound practices and a culture of compliance.”
Greene joins WilmerHale just months after her longtime colleague, former New York Fed general counsel Michael Held, also joined the firm. Greene’s and Held’s addition demonstrates WilmerHale’s continued attraction as a destination for high-ranking government lawyers entering private practice.
WilmerHale co-managing partner Robert Novick said Greene’s arrival fits one of the firm’s strategic objectives to further increase its bench of talented government lawyers.
“One of the goals of our strategic plan is to further grow our government-facing practices, and Yoon-Hi squarely hits that target,” said Novick. “Yoon Hi’s expertise and experience are exactly why our clients seek out WilmerHale to address the most complex regulatory issues and challenging government interactions.”
Greene joins a strong group of former government lawyers who joined the firm recently.
Frank Gorman, a 22-year veteran of the Federal Trade Commission, joined in January after serving as acting deputy director of the agency’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
Jennifer Milici – Chief Trial Counsel of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition – also joined in January, as did her colleague Dominic Vote, formerly Assistant Director and head of the Mergers II Division.
In June, Preet Bharara – former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York – joined WilmerHale, while Lauren Moore, former associate counsel to President Joseph R. Biden, joined the firm in September.
In 2021, Avakian returned to WilmerHale after serving as the director of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement. That same year, John Wells – former deputy enforcement director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau – also joined the firm.
After earning her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in 1990, Greene was an Assistant District Attorney in the New York County District Attorney’s Office until 1994. From 1994 to 1999, she was a Litigation Associate at a New York law firm.