Leonard, Nicholas

Jeff is an associate in Wiggin and Dana's Litigation Department and a member of the White Collar Defense, Investigations & Corporate Compliance Practice Group in the firm's New York office. His practice includes complex commercial and securities litigation focused around investment banking, hedge fund and private equity clients. Jeff joined Wiggin and Dana in the spring of 2007.

In the white collar realm, Jeff has represented bank, hedge fund and private equity clients in an array of matters, including investigations and actions brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and state attorneys general. He has also represented individual officers and directors in shareholder suits alleging fraud and breach of fiduciary duties. On the retail investment side, Jeff has represented individual financial advisors and banks in actions commenced by investors before the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).

Prior to joining Wiggin and Dana, Jeff worked for three years at a New York law firm, where he practiced securities litigation, commercial litigation and white collar defense. He also spent nearly two years with the in-house legal and compliance department of an international investment bank in New York, where he handled securities litigations claims, internal investigations, and regulatory inquiries.

Jeff received his BA from Denison University, cum laude and his JD from the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School. While at SUNY Buffalo Law School, Jeff was the Articles Editor for The Buffalo Environmental Law Journal and a finalist for the best brief award in the Charles S. Desmond Moot Court Competition..