GSBA Director - Ghillaine A. Reid, Esq.

Ghillaine A. Reid has extensive experience in commercial litigation, securities enforcement and litigation, and corporate compliance matters. She also has significant experience representing corporations and individuals in investigations conducted by the United States Attorney's office, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and other government agencies and self-regulatory organizations. She has handled several high profile SEC investigations and enforcement actions involving insider trading, accounting fraud and sales practice violations. She also has successfully defended clients in securities arbitration proceedings involving claims of unsuitability, churning, misrepresentation and fraud. In addition to her securities regulatory and enforcement practice, Ms. Reid also regularly defends clients in a variety of commercial litigation matters in the federal and state courts of New York and New Jersey. She has won cases for defendants, through both dispositive motions and trials, involving claims of breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, misrepresentation and fraud. In addition, Ms. Reid has handled several internal investigations on behalf of public and privately held companies and audit committees regarding compliance with internal company policies, securities regulations, and provisions of the Sarbanes Oxley Act.

Most recently, Ms. Reid successfully defended a direct access brokerage firm on Wall Street in a FINRA investigation regarding the accounting treatment of travel and entertainment expenses; a major publicly-traded pharmaceutical company and certain of its officers and directors in a FINRA investigation involving insider trading; and a New Jersey broker-dealer in a state court action involving claims of securities fraud and breach of contract.

Before joining the firm, Ms. Reid served as a Branch Chief and Staff Attorney in the New York Regional Office of the SEC, where she investigated and litigated securities enforcement proceedings involving market manipulation, accounting fraud, insider trading, sales practice violations and large scale securities fraud "Ponzi" schemes. While at the SEC, Ms. Reid was the lead attorney in handling one of the largest securities fraud "Ponzi" schemes to be perpetrated against investors in the State of New Jersey. In that case, SEC v. First Interregional Advisors Corp. et al., 97 Civ. 1144 (MTB)(D.N.J.), the SEC obtain a default judgment of several hundred million dollars against defendants in a scheme involving the fraudulent sale of equipment leases to New Jersey investors. On this and other cases at the SEC, Ms. Reid worked closely with other government agencies in major securities and other fraud cases, including the United States Attorney's Office, the New York Stock Exchange and the FINRA. As a Branch Chief, Ms. Reid was responsible for supervising a team of Staff Attorneys on a wide range of securities enforcement cases.

Ms. Reid is a member of the firm's Electronic Discovery and Information Management Counseling Task Force. She has handled all aspects of electronic discovery in large, complex litigation matters, and regularly counsels clients on best practices for electronic discovery, including issues relating to data preservation, litigation hold advisory letters and compliance with applicable federal and local rules. Ms. Reid also is a frequent lecturer and author on cutting edge "e-discovery" issues.

Education
Boston University School of Law (J.D., 1995)
Case & Note Editor, Probate Law Journal
Director, Edward C. Stone Moot Court Competition, 1994


Boston University
(B.A., cum laude, Political Science, 1992)
Dean's List

Professional Admissions
State of New York 1996
State of New Jersey 1996
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York 1997
United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York 1997
United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 1996

Professional Activities
Adjunct Professor, Seton Hall University School of Law
Securities Enforcement and Litigation 2002-2003
Legal Research and Writing 2001-2002
Securities Litigation Committee, New York City Bar

Securities Litigation and Regulatory Enforcement Committee, New Jersey State Bar Association

Secretary and Member of the Board of Directors, Inwood House

Section on Litigation, American Bar Association

Association of SEC Alumnae

Defense Research Institute, Electronic Discovery Committee

The American Law Institute (ALI)

Gibbons Electronic Discovery Task Force

Publications

"Stock Options Backdating - Legal or Illegal?," The Commercial Law Connection, Volume 4, Issue 2, Summer, 2007 (Ghillaine A. Reid, Amy J. Metzger)

"Practical Strategies For Satisfying Preservation Obligations - Part II," The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, October 2006

"Production Format and the New Federal Rules," New Jersey Law Journal, September 25, 2006 (Ghillaine A. Reid, Lisa Spinelli)

"Practical Strategies For Satisfying Preservation Obligations - Part I," The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, September 2006

Quotes/Interviews
Interview, "Ghillaine Reid, Making Strides at Gibbons," by Multi-Cultural Law Magazine, 2005 Edition

Speaking Engagements

Speaker, Practising Law Institute, "The Deadly Dozen - 12 of the Most Common Mistakes Lawyers Make When Dealing with Clients," New York, NY. December 12, 2007

Speaker, Gibbons P.C., Max Bermuda and Aon, "Employment Practices Liability," Newark, NJ. October 30, 2007

Speaker, Gibbons P.C., "Gibbons E-Discovery Conference," Newark, N.J. September 27, 2007

Speaker, LexisNexis Women in the Legal Profession Summit, "Rainmaking and Business Development for Women: Understanding and Managing the Impact of Gender on Your Career and Rainmaking Success," Philadelphia, PA. September 25, 2007

Panelist, New York County Lawyers' Association (NYCLA) and the Financial Women's Association (FWA) Women-in-Law Strategies for Success Series , "So You Got That Referral - Now Keep It, How to Keep the Client Coming Back to You for More" New York, NY. April 26, 2007

Panelist, Gibbons P.C. and The New Jersey State Bar Association's Minorities in the Profession Section, "The Pathways to Partnership for Associates of Color" Newark, NJ. April 19, 2007

Panelist, American Bar Association Conference, "Practical E-Discovery from A-to-Z: Preserving It, Asking for It, and Paying for It" Phoenix, AZ. March 29 - 30, 2007

Panelist: Electronic Discovery: Legal Issues & Practical Challenges, February 23, 2007, National Bar Association's 20th Annual Corporate Counsel Conference

Panelist, Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. CLE Panel Presentation entitled "The Impact of the Proposed Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Regarding Electronic Discovery," November 27, 2006

Speaker, 18th Annual General Counsel Conference, "E-Discovery: Are You Prepared?" New York City, NY, June 12-13, 2006

Speaker, Northstar Conference - The National Institute for Women Corporate Counsel "The SEC Today and its Impact on How Your Company Does Business" New York, New York, July 26, 2005

Speaker, Gibbons Breakfast Roundtable entitled "Corporate Scandals: The Stories Behind The Headlines" March 8, 2005

Panelist, New Jersey State Bar Association Annual Meeting, Panel entitled “Understanding the Nuts and Bolts of the Securities Laws in Today’s World,” May 21, 2004

Honors/Awards
Listed as Super Lawyers Rising Star, Business Litigation, 2007

Named in New Jersey Law Journal's 2005 list of the top 50 leading women and minority attorneys in the state

Legal Employment Background
United States Securities and Exchange Commission, Division of Enforcement, New York, NY
Branch Chief 1998-1999; Staff Attorney 1995-1998

Languages
Fluent in Spanish

Ghillaine A. Reid
Director Business & Commercial Litigation


Practice AreasBusiness & Commercial Litigation
Electronic Discovery & Information Management Counseling
Internal and Audit Committee Investigations
Securities Litigation


Contact InformationOne Pennsylvania Plaza,
37th Floor
New York, NY 10119-3701


Direct: 212-613-2019
Fax: 212-554-9645
greid@gibbonslaw.com