Move Bolsters Securities Litigation Capabilities, National Growth, and Strategic Expansion in Key Markets
Thompson Hine LLP, a national law firm recognized as an innovation leader, announced today that a prominent securities litigation and regulatory enforcement team has joined the firm. Led by nationally acclaimed litigation partner Alan M. Wolper, the team also includes partners Heidi E. VonderHeide and Nathan W. Lamb and associates Morgan K. Johnson, John J. Miceli, and Mark R. Illingworth (Cincinnati office).
The six-lawyer group advises financial institutions, broker-dealers, investment advisers, and registered persons nationwide in court proceedings, arbitrations, and in connection with regulatory inquiries, examinations, investigations, and enforcement actions instituted by FINRA, the SEC, and state securities regulators. Their litigation practice handles matters involving investment advice and services, disputes relating to specific investment products, regulatory compliance, and surrounding issues.
“Bringing Alan, Heidi, and Nathan on board meaningfully advances our strategy to build a differentiated national bench in financial services litigation and regulation, significantly expanding our capacity to handle complex, multiforum financial services disputes and counsel industry clients across key markets,” said Thompson Hine managing partner Tony White. “It also drives our continued Chicago expansion and builds on our firmwide growth, which includes the recent launch of our Silicon Valley office with the lawyers from Turner Boyd Seraphine.”
Wolper is a nationally recognized securities regulatory and litigation practitioner with more than 40 years of experience. He previously spent a decade in senior leadership roles at NASD/FINRA, including as director of the NASD Atlanta District Office and as an enforcement attorney. His background also includes leading financial services teams at national firms and extensive experience defending customer arbitrations and enforcement matters.
“We were drawn to Thompson Hine’s collaborative culture, national footprint, and commitment to innovation, as well as access to the firm’s wide range of practices and the breadth and depth of specialty services our clients often need,” said Wolper. “Equally important are the firm’s thriving New York office and its growing California presence, which offer tremendous resources in key markets where many of our matters arise. The firm’s platform allows us to serve clients efficiently across jurisdictions and practice areas, ensuring we are equipped to assist clients across the full spectrum of their needs.”
The team’s arrival augments Thompson Hine’s financial services industry platform and aligns with the firm’s cross-disciplinary strengths, including investment management, white collar defense and investigations, class actions, employment, data privacy/cybersecurity, and digital assets/blockchain. With a diversified, national client base spanning large financial institutions, mid-market broker-dealers, and RIAs, the group enhances the firm’s ability to deliver right-sized staffing and rate flexibility across contested hearings and regulatory portfolios.
“Our Chicago office continues to scale across high-demand practices, and this team accelerates that momentum,” said Jonathon Vinocur, partner in charge of Thompson Hine’s Chicago office. “Their litigation experience and market credibility enhance our ability to deliver the firm’s full-service capabilities in Chicago and beyond. They also underscore our strategy to attract top talent across key disciplines to meet the needs of sophisticated clients on complex, high-stakes matters.”
This announcement follows the firm’s January 1 Silicon Valley launch with the Turner Boyd Seraphine team, which deepened Thompson Hine’s national Intellectual Property & Technology Litigation practice. These moves emphasize the firm’s robust resources and broad service platform across key markets – including New York and California – and enhance its ability to deliver specialty practices at scale.
It also comes on the heels of other recent Chicago hires, including real estate partner Matthew Alshouse, middle-market corporate partner Robyn Axberg, and senior tax counsel Jeffrey Golds. Together, these moves underscore clear momentum and sustained growth for the firm’s Chicago office and its broader national platform.