Paul W. Ryan
Founding Partner
Paul is a tireless advocate who provides clients with sophisticated and results-oriented counsel. To every client matter, he brings nearly a decade of experience as a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) enforcement lawyer and significant expertise representing individuals, corporations, and trading firms in criminal, government enforcement, and civil matters. He has represented dozens of clients accused of insider trading and defeated the SEC in a high-profile insider trading trial. In its coverage of that case, the New York Times noted that the win on appeal “marked a rare loss” for the SEC. Media outlets like CNBC frequently call on Paul to discuss breaking legal developments.
As an SEC Senior Counsel, Paul conducted dozens of investigations, including numerous parallel investigations with prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. He served as the lead attorney in matters involving complex securities fraud, accounting fraud, insider trading, fraudulent securities offerings, mutual fund market-timing, late trading, and non-compliance with disclosure rules.
Before co-founding Serpe Ryan LLP, Paul served as in-house counsel at Pfizer where he advised the marketing teams for global commercial products. Prior to his tenure at the SEC, Paul also worked in the litigation departments of two of New York’s top law firms and served as a law clerk for the Honorable I. Leo Glasser in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Honors
- New York Metro Super Lawyer since 2015
- Two-time recipient of the SEC Director’s award for Outstanding Contribution to Enforcement
Professional Associations
- The New York State Bar Association’s Committee on White Collar Criminal Litigation
- Federal Bar Council
- New York City Bar Association
Publications and Lectures
- Contributing Author: SEC Compliance and Enforcement Answer Book
- Presenter: Recent Developments in Insider Trading Law (2016)
- Presenter: SEC Administrative Proceedings: Winning on the SEC’s Home Court (2016)
Education
- J.D., New York University School of Law, cum laude, Staff Editor for the New York University Law Review
- B.A., Georgetown University, cum laude
Clerkship
- The Honorable I. Leo Glasser, United States District Court, E.D.N.Y.
Admissions
- New York
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
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Testimonials
Paul W. Ryan is courteous and a tenacious fighter. I felt like a high priority to him through our experience. He is well versed and gave very good advice. He was also a bulldog when it was necessary. I HIGHLY recommend this firm.
Joseph Z.
My experience with Serpe Ryan was excellent. Both Silvia Serpe and Paul Ryan are uniquely qualified to bring broad perspective to cases given their varied backgrounds. Serpe Ryan was highly responsive, proactive and thoughtful from our very first meeting throughout the entire process. They always dug in to ensure they fully understood my needs, gave us the best opportunity for success and made me feel like their most important client. I highly recommend Paul, Silvia, and their team and have the utmost respect for their work and advice!
Joe R.
I think Paul Ryan differentiates himself by being very focused and responsive. In each of my cases, he: (1) immediately worked to get up to speed and resolve the situation as quickly and efficiently as possible; and (2) always answered/returned my calls and emails promptly. I was happy with both the resolution process (time requirement and cost for me) and the resolution of each inquiry. In each of my cases, Paul facilitated a brief interaction with the SEC which resulted in them ending their inquiries without prosecution.
James H.
Serpe Ryan is an excellent law firm with exceptional attorneys. I engaged them on a complex matter and they handled it successfully and efficiently. They are seasoned litigators with a broad range of expertise and I would not hesitate to work with them again.
David Z.
Serpe Ryan is the Go-To firm for top-shelf legal representation. Ms. Serpe is an excellent attorney and will represent your interests in the most proficient and professional way possible.
F. Ramirez
I came to Serpe Ryan LLP regarding a legal dispute around a complex financial dispute and little hope of ever recovering what was owed to me. The team quickly came to understand the matter, the opposing party, and worked with me in a highly responsive manner to far exceed the outcome I had expected. Serpe Ryan LLP offers both the high talent of a white-shoe firm alongside the practicality and responsiveness that comes with working with a boutique practice.
Alexander B.
I met Silvia at the most difficult moment of my life - I was prosecuted by the federal government and the SEC for insider trading. Silvia and her partner Paul worked as a team to represent me for both criminal and civil cases with the SEC. They negotiated with the SEC to reduce the size of my fine. During sentencing, Silvia also helped me to negotiate better terms of my supervised release. I highly recommend Silvia and Paul, for their deep knowledge, compassion, dedication, and willingness to put extra effort to fight for their clients.
Dimitry B.
The law firm of Serpe Ryan LLP was obtained for me by my employer. From my first meeting to the last interview with the Government, it couldn't have gone better. Both Paul and Silvia were professional and knowledgeable; they prepared me for my meetings with such ease and expertise. They made a very unique experience as pleasant as possible.
Gail P.
Paul & Silvia were relentless in their well-researched, well-constructed, and well-delivered presentation of my case. In the end, they were able to get the insurance company to write a check for more money than I ever thought possible. They are smart, direct, available, honest, and compassionate...and they have earned my highest recommendation.
Josh B.
Silvia Serpe has represented my company, Kaleidoscope Learning, for over a decade. She's thoughtful, responsive, and we always feel that we get tremendous value from the time that Silvia spends working with us--she sees things from a big-picture perspective and helps us think through our ideal results in any particular situation.
David G.
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