Paul Robert Eckert
Professor of the Practice
Email: [[preckert]]
Office phone: (757) 221-5746
Office location: Room 229B
Representative Professional Activities and Achievements
Paul R. Eckert was a partner in Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP’s Securities Department, and a member of the Securities Litigation and Enforcement Practice Group. He joined the firm in 1995 and retired in 2022. Mr. Eckert’s practice focused on securities enforcement matters, securities litigation and regulatory compliance counseling.
Mr. Eckert represented corporations, financial institutions and individuals under investigation by the SEC, the DOJ, the Securities SROs, and state attorneys general and securities administrators in a variety of matters involving novel issues under federal and state securities laws. He advised clients in connection with their responses to regulators, mitigation of violations, and development of policies and procedures designed to ensure prospective compliance with applicable rules and regulations. He also conducted internal corporate investigations of potential violations of the federal securities laws.
From 1989 through 1993, Mr. Eckert served as a US Navy Lieutenant onboard the USS Wasp (LHD-1). In 2006–2007, he served as an Associate Counsel and Special Assistant to President George W. Bush.
Mr. Eckert serves on the Board of Trustees for the William and Mary Law School foundation, chairs the Investment Committee, and is a board member of the 1693 Partners Fund, the principal endowment vehicle for The College of William and Mary.
Since 2022, Mr. Eckert has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at William and Mary Law School.
Professional Activities
- SEC's Market Access Rule Still Lacks Clarity, WilmerHale Alert, Oct. 11, 2021.
- COVID-19: Key Considerations for Corporate Insiders Who Trade During the Pandemic, WilmerHale Alert, Apr.6, 2020.
- SEC Holds Kokesh Does Not Impact FINRA Industry Bar, WilmerHale Alert, Aug.28, 2019.
- FINRA Issues New Guidance on Credit for Extraordinary Cooperation, WilmerHale Alert, July.15, 2019.
- FINRA and the MSRB Issue FAQs on Bond Mark-Up Disclosure, WilmerHale Alert, July.24, 2017.
- SEC Approves Bond Mark-Up Disclosure Rules, WilmerHale Alert, Nov. 29, 2016.
- Q&A With Wilmer Hale's Paul Eckert, Law360's Q&A Series, Mar. 7, 2013.
- FINRA Now Authorized to Seek SAR Materials from Member Broker Dealers, WilmerHale Alert, Feb.24, 2012.
- SEC Proposes Bad Actor Disqualification to Popular Private Placement Safe Harbor, WilmerHale Alert, June 2, 2011.
- SEC Approves Sweeping Changes to FINRA's Regulatory Reporting Rules, WilmerHale Alert, Nov. 22, 2010.
- SEC to Review Performance of Boards in Financial Crisis, WilmerHale Alert, Mar. 11, 2009.
- Nine Years After - SEC Approves NASD Mark-Up Guidance for Debt Securities, WilmerHale Alert, Apr. 25, 2007.
Mr. Eckert has been a guest lecturer on emerging issues in securities enforcement matters and writes regularly on securities law topics: