Scott Mascianica

Scott serves as the Head of Hilgers Graben’s Government Investigations and Regulatory Enforcement practice. Ranked by Chambers & Partners USA as one of the leading lawyers in Texas for White Collar and Government Investigations matters, Scott has a national practice where he routinely advises companies, board and audit committees, auditors, regulated entities, and individuals in connection with government enforcement proceedings, internal investigations, and related litigation. Clients have identified Scott as an “outstanding former SEC lawyer” who is “very smart” and “very practical” in his approach to representing clients. He has successfully represented clients in investigations by, among others, the SEC, DOJ, FINRA, CFTC, and various state regulators and self-regulatory organizations.

Prior to returning to private practice, Scott served for nearly a decade at the SEC in various investigative and supervisory capacities. He held supervisory roles in the SEC’s Fort Worth Regional Office, where he served as Assistant Regional Director for the SEC’s Division of Enforcement covering a four-state region, and as Assistant Director with the Enforcement Division’s Asset Management Unit, a nationwide unit that leads the SEC’s investigations in matters involving the asset management industry. In his management roles, Scott supervised a team of experienced enforcement attorneys and accountants on more than 150 confidential investigations, and his team filed more than 30 SEC enforcement actions against entities and individuals under his leadership that resulted in judgments totaling more than a quarter-billion dollars. During his government service, Scott also served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado, where he prosecuted crimes involving securities-related misconduct.

As a result of his broad knowledge and experience, Scott is a sought-after speaker, writer, and commentator on various government enforcement and compliance issues. He has been quoted in publications such as Bloomberg, Thompson Reuters, Agenda, Politico, Law360 and Texas Lawbook, and has also authored more than 80 articles and alerts on various government enforcement topics.

Prior to joining Hilgers Graben, Scott was a partner at Holland & Knight where he was Co-Chair of the firm’s Securities Enforcement Defense Team. Before practicing as an attorney, Scott worked as a financial forensic consultant at a Big Four accounting firm.