Freshfields Adds Another Former SEC Official With Gerding Hire

Erik Gerding, who led the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s corporate finance division in the Biden administration, is joining Freshfields as a partner at the firm.

Gerding will work in Freshfields’ Silicon Valley office, the firm announced on Friday. He joins Freshfields less than two months after the firm hired Melissa Hodgman, the former associate director of the SEC’s enforcement division, joined the firm as a litigation partner in Washington.

Gerding, a former Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton associate, first joined the SEC in October 2021 as a deputy director of its corporate finance division where he led legal and regulatory policy. He became the division’s director in February 2023 before departing the SEC on Dec. 31.

He guided SEC rulemaking on climate-related disclosures for investors; cybersecurity risk management, strategy, governance, and incident disclosure by public companies; and special purpose acquisition companies. In his new role at Freshfields, Gerding will represent clients on a spectrum of securities, governance, corporate and regulatory matters, the firm said.

“Erik brings a wealth of experience to the firm, including intricate knowledge of how best to navigate the SEC and assess risk, which will immediately benefit clients across the corporate lifecycle,” Freshfields US managing partner Sarah Solum said in a statement.

“His appointment as partner—alongside our other outstanding partners—is a strong differentiator for Freshfields as we help clients pursue growth through both public and private markets,” she said.