William A. Nelson, Former Investment Adviser Association Policy Leader, Joins Eversheds Sutherland as Senior Counsel

Eversheds Sutherland has added Senior Counsel William A. Nelson to its Investment Services & Products Practice Group in Washington, DC, strengthening the firm's ability to counsel investment advisers, asset managers and other financial services organizations on securities regulation, public policy, legislative affairs and emerging issues, such as AI governance.

Before joining the firm, Mr. Nelson was Director of Public Policy and Associate General Counsel at the Investment Adviser Association, where for the past four years he played a key role in leading advocacy efforts before Congress, the SEC and other policymakers on issues affecting investment advisers.

“William is a highly respected lawyer and policy leader in the investment management and broader asset management sectors, with a strong record of constructive engagement with regulators and industry stakeholders on securities rulemaking, federal legislation and emerging legal and policy issues,” said Partner and US Head of Investment Services & Products Cliff Kirsch. “We’re thrilled to welcome him to the team and to offer clients his sophisticated regulatory guidance and policy and legislative insight as the industry continues to quickly evolve.”

Mr. Nelson’s direct experience with policymakers, regulators and other industry stakeholders—coupled with his work on AI implementation and other emerging financial services matters—will help clients navigate today's fast-evolving regulatory landscape.

Key Industry Experience Has Included:

• Digital innovation initiatives:  Advocating for key legislative initiatives in connection with digital assets regulation, as well as bills that would direct financial regulators to encourage AI innovation within regulatory sandboxes
• AI governance policies: Providing guidance to investment advisers on the implementation of leading AI governance frameworks—such as the NIST AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF) and IOSCO's Supervisory Toolkit for AI Use in Capital Markets—as well as the development of acceptable use policies, notetaking policies, insider trading compliance protocols, and data privacy and cybersecurity safeguards, all in alignment with their fiduciary obligations
• Additional issues impacting advisers: Leading industry efforts to advocate for the SEC’s adoption of an e-delivery framework and navigating additional issues including proxy voting and climate risk

Areas of Client Service Focus Will Include: 

• Regulatory compliance and implementation: Advising on securities law obligations, compliance priorities and implementation of new SEC rules affecting products, operations and client-facing business models
• Policy and advocacy strategy: Helping clients assess and respond to federal policy developments, legislative proposals and regulatory advocacy opportunities 
• Financial services innovation: Supporting clients as they evaluate AI implementation and governance, digital assets, fintech developments and related legal, regulatory and market implications 

Mr. Nelson maintains an active role in industry leadership and legal education, including as Chair of the DC Bar’s Corporation, Finance and Securities Law Community.  

He is also an Adjunct Professor at the George Washington University Law School teaching Securities Drafting.