Barry R. Goldsmith, former SEC litigation chief and partner at Gibson Dunn, passed away on February 4, 2024.
Barry Goldsmith’s SEC history was preserved through an interview conducted in 2010. To listen to his oral history or read the transcript go the museum and type Barry Goldsmith into the search feature.
Gibson Dunn shared a message about Barry’s life and legacy including the following about his time at the SEC.
In 1986, Barry joined the Division of Enforcement of the SEC, serving as Senior Deputy Chief Litigation Counsel from 1990 to 1993, and as Chief Litigation Counsel from 1993 to 1996 where he was responsible for all enforcement litigation brought by the agency. As Chief Litigation Counsel, Barry had significant responsibilities for the SEC’s landmark cases against Drexel Burnham Lambert, Michael Milken, Ivan Boesky and Paul Bilzerian.
He successfully tried precedent-setting enforcement actions against Viktor and Steven Posner where he obtained the first ever SEC-litigated officer and director bar and the SEC’s first litigated “stock parking” case against First City National Corp. and Mark Belzberg. In 1994, he was the recipient of the Presidential Distinguished Rank Award, the highest award given to senior executives in the federal government.
Learn more about Barry by listening to his oral history in our archives.