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Hester Peirce, J.D.Associate ProfessorSchool of Law

Hester Peirce, J.D.

Bio

Before joining the Regent Law School faculty, Associate Professor Hester Peirce served as a Commissioner on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from 2018 to 2026. While in that role, she worked on a wide range of regulatory and enforcement matters. Her responsibilities included heading the agency’s Crypto Task Force, formed in January 2025.

Prior to joining the SEC, Professor Peirce conducted research on the regulation of financial markets at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. During that time, she co-edited two books, testified, and wrote on issues including securities markets regulation, Dodd-Frank, small banks, clearinghouses, and economic analysis. Before that, she was a Senior Counsel on the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, where she advised Ranking Member Richard Shelby and other members of the Committee on securities issues. During a prior stint at the SEC, she served as counsel to SEC Commissioner Paul S. Atkins and also worked as a Staff Attorney in the SEC’s Division of Investment Management. She served as an associate at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering (now WilmerHale) and clerked for Judge Roger Andewelt on the Court of Federal Claims.

Credentials

  • J.D., Yale Law School, 1997
  • B.A. in Economics, Case Western Reserve University, 1993