Seward & Kissel Builds Regulatory Powerhouse with Strategic Hires

NEW YORK, NY – April 14, 2026 – Seward & Kissel LLP is continuing a strategic expansion of its securities and enforcement capabilities, announcing the arrival of partners Adriana Schwartz and Hannah Thibideau in its New York office. The move, which poaches more top talent from rival McDermott Will & Schulte (formerly Schulte Roth & Zabel), deepens the firm's bench in a high-stakes legal environment and signals a clear ambition to create an integrated powerhouse for financial services clients.

Schwartz joins the firm’s highly-regarded Investment Management group, bringing extensive experience in securities compliance and trading issues for activist and passive investors. Thibideau joins the Litigation & Investigations group, focusing on regulatory enforcement and white-collar criminal defense. Their arrival is the latest in a series of calculated hires designed to fortify the firm’s position as a go-to advisor for clients navigating the entire lifecycle of financial regulation.

A Cohesive Team from a Competitor

The addition of Schwartz and Thibideau is not an isolated event but the continuation of a focused recruitment strategy. They are the latest in a string of partners to join Seward & Kissel from their former firm, following the arrival of Craig Warkol in March, who now chairs the Litigation & Investigations group, as well as Randall Adams and Mark Garibyan, who joined in late 2025.

This concerted effort appears aimed at reassembling a proven, cohesive team under a new roof. “We are thrilled to welcome Adriana and Hannah to our Firm,” said Daniel Bresler, managing partner of Seward & Kissel, in a statement. “Their arrival reflects our continued momentum and commitment to providing comprehensive capabilities to serve our clients’ needs.”

The strategy is to build a practice that can seamlessly guide clients from structuring transactions and ensuring compliance on the front end to managing government examinations and defending against enforcement actions on the back end. This integrated approach is increasingly critical as financial firms face overlapping challenges from capital markets activity and regulatory scrutiny.

“I am thrilled to be working again with Adriana and Hannah,” said Warkol. “We are exceptionally well positioned to advise clients at the intersection of capital markets activity and regulatory enforcement. This depth allows us to help clients anticipate issues earlier, navigate examinations and investigations more efficiently, and reduce disruption when scrutiny arises.”

For clients, this means access to a team that not only possesses deep subject-matter expertise but also has a pre-existing professional chemistry, potentially leading to more efficient and effective legal counsel.

Responding to a Sharpening Regulatory Sword

The firm’s expansion comes as federal regulators are adopting a more aggressive and strategic enforcement posture. While the total number of enforcement actions may have declined, the financial penalties and the focus on high-impact cases have grown significantly.

In fiscal year 2025, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reported its lowest number of enforcement actions in two decades, yet it secured a staggering $17.9 billion in monetary relief. This "less is more" approach indicates a shift toward targeting cases involving significant investor harm and clear misconduct. Similarly, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) saw its total monetary sanctions jump 77% to $154 million in 2025, despite a 22% drop in disciplinary actions, driven by a few high-value cases related to anti-money laundering (AML), misleading communications, and Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI) violations.

This is the precise environment where the expertise of Schwartz and Thibideau becomes invaluable. Thibideau's practice is centered on defending clients in investigations brought by the SEC, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and FINRA. She also advises on compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and sanctions—all areas of intense regulatory focus.

Meanwhile, Schwartz’s work on the transactional and compliance side provides the first line of defense. Her expertise in Section 13(d) and Section 16 reporting for investors, as well as her experience with complex instruments like PIPEs, SPACs, and 144A offerings, helps clients navigate the intricate rules designed to prevent the very issues that lead to enforcement actions.

As Schwartz noted, she was drawn to a firm that “understands how capital markets activity, regulatory compliance, and enforcement risk increasingly intersect for clients, and that is structured to address those challenges in a coordinated, practical way.”

The Lateral Market's Shifting Tides

The movement of this group of partners also highlights a significant trend in the broader legal market, particularly in the wake of major law firm mergers. The combination of McDermott Will & Emery and Schulte Roth & Zabel in August 2025 created a legal behemoth with nearly $3 billion in revenue.

While such mergers create powerful market players, they can also trigger departures as partners re-evaluate their place within the new, larger structure. The exodus of a specialized, collaborative team to a firm like Seward & Kissel suggests a desire for a more focused platform where their synergistic practice can thrive. For firms like Seward & Kissel, these market shifts present a golden opportunity to attract elite talent that may be seeking a different cultural or strategic fit.

Fortifying a Legacy of Financial Expertise

Seward & Kissel is not building its regulatory practice from scratch but rather reinforcing a foundation that dates back decades. Founded in 1890, the firm has a storied history in the financial services industry, having been involved in the formation of the very first hedge fund in 1949. Today, its Investment Management and Litigation groups are consistently ranked among the nation's elite by publications like Chambers & Partners.

The recent hires are part of a wider growth initiative. In early 2026, the firm added derivatives expert Jack Habert to its Investment Management group and brought on John Benson and Christopher Belisle to co-lead its Maritime Finance practice. This follows a transformative 2025 that saw the arrival of eight lateral partners across key practice areas.

By strategically adding top-tier talent like Schwartz and Thibideau to its established and highly respected practices, Seward & Kissel is not just growing—it is deliberately constructing a comprehensive service offering designed to meet the most pressing legal and regulatory challenges facing the modern financial industry. This calculated investment in talent positions the firm to maintain its leadership role and effectively guide clients through an era of unprecedented scrutiny.