Sarah Heaton Concannon is a nationally recognized first-chair trial and appellate lawyer who serves as Co-Chair of Quinn Emanuel’s SEC Enforcement practice and is resident in the firm’s Washington, D.C. and New York offices.  Sarah has over two decades of experience representing and advising companies, boards, audit committees, senior executives, and other individuals in bet-the-company litigation and governmental investigations.  Sarah brings together a practical, results-driven, client-centric focus; outstanding academic credentials; and a unique depth of knowledge regarding how best to navigate governmental and regulatory processes to achieve results for clients.

Sarah recently held senior positions at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).  As Senior Trial Counsel at the SEC, Sarah litigated and investigated a wide array of securities matters, including actions for fraud, market manipulation, breaches of fiduciary duty, insider trading, violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), excessive mark-ups, and disclosure and books and records violations.  Sarah’s federal district court litigations included high-profile and groundbreaking matters of key significance to the Commission, hundreds of millions of dollars recovered on behalf of investors, and multiple parallel criminal actions with the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices.  Sarah was undefeated in dispositive motions, at trial, and on appeal.

Sarah also served as a member of the executive staff of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement as Senior Counsel to the Directors.  In that capacity, she advised the Directors on enforcement matters and regularly liaised with the Chairman and Commissioners.  Sarah prepared Congressional correspondence and testimony and aided Congress in considering and drafting legislation, including related to insider trading, statutes of limitations, disgorgement, and restitution. 

In 2020, Sarah received the SEC’s Douglas Adams Award for significant contributions to improving the effectiveness of the National Examination Program through personal leadership, and in 2019, she received the Division Directors Award for her efforts securing tens of millions of dollars in unlawful trading assets in SEC v. Longfin Corp., et al., 18 Civ. 2977-DLC (S.D.N.Y.). 

Sarah is a frequent speaker at industry and legal conferences, both within her substantive areas of expertise and on trial and practical litigation skills.  Sarah’s recent public engagements include speaking on developments in governmental investigations and enforcement at the American Bar Association’s 2020 Litigation Section Annual Conference.  She often speaks on cross-border regulation and enforcement and has guest lectured on securities enforcement at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business.