David A. Vaughan focuses his practice on investment management, primarily private funds.
Following 18 years of private practice, Mr. Vaughan served from April 2009 until July 2011 as the senior private fund policy adviser in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Investment Management in Washington, D.C. In that capacity, he advised on all aspects of legal and regulatory policy related to private funds. During that period, he played a leading role in advising on Title IV of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the rules implementing those provisions, the Volcker Rule, and the European Union Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive, among other things.
Mr. Vaughan works with hedge funds, private equity funds, venture capital funds and unregistered traditional funds. He represents managers with respect to fund formation, distribution and compliance issues. He has also represented both insurance companies and fund sponsors with respect to privately placed and offshore variable insurance products.
Mr. Vaughan is an adjunct professor at the Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America where he teaches Securities Regulation: Private Equity and Hedge Funds. He was recently appointed to serve on the Board of Directors of the Managed Funds Association. In 2010, he received the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission’s Law and Policy Award, and the Federal Bar Association’s Securities Law Committee’s Philip A. Loomis, Jr. Award. Prior to joining the SEC staff, Mr. Vaughan was recognized as a leading lawyer for investment management by Chambers USA, a referral guide to leading lawyers in the United States based on the opinions of their peers and clients, and listed by Institutional Investor as one of the “Top 20 Hedge Fund Rising Stars.” He is also a frequent speaker at industry conferences.
Education
Bowling Green State University, B.A., 1987, cum laude
Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., 1990, cum laude
Bar Admissions/Qualifications
District of Columbia
New York
Publications and Lectures
Lead Author, “Starting a Hedge Fund – A U.S. Perspective,” ISI Publications, (October 2004)
European Hedge Fund Investment Forum
European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA, formerly FEFSI)
The Alternative Investment Management Association (Hong Kong and Singapore)
Investment Adviser Association Annual Compliance Conference
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Hedge Fund Roundtable
Investment Company Institute Conference on Mutual Funds & Investment Management in Asia
MAR Hedge International Conference on Hedge Fund Investments in Bermuda
Investment Company Institute Mutual Funds & Investment Management Conference
13th Annual Global Private Equity Conference
IA Compliance Best Practices Summit
NICSA’s 25th Anniversary Annual Conference & Expo
IIR Soft Dollar Practices Forum