William Tolbert is Co-Chair of the Firm's Securities Practice and a member of the Firm's Corporate and Mergers & Acquisitions Practices. Prior to joining Jenner & Block, he worked for the SEC, most recently as Associate Director of the Division of Corporation Finance. His responsibilities included setting policy and resolving issues on disclosure matters on registration statements, proxy statements, periodic reports and requests for confidential treatment for all public companies. During his 15-year tenure at the SEC, Mr. Tolbert received the Byron Woodside Award for excellence in the area of disclosure and the Supervisory Excellence Award.
Mr. Tolbert has been identified by Chambers USA as one of the country's leading attorneys in Securities/Regulation/Advisory law. Best Lawyers in America has also recognized him for his work in Securities/Capital Markets Law. A frequent writer and speaker on securities issues, Mr. Tolbert was an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University Law Center. He served as a past Vice Chair of the ABA Subcommittee on Proxy Statements and Business Combinations.