UBS Vet David Cohen Joins SIFMA's Muni Group

WASHINGTON — David Cohen, formerly with UBS, has joined the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association as a managing director and associate general counsel for the muni division.

Cohen will provide support on muni policy, legal, regulatory, market practice, and other issues, and will report to Michael Decker and Leslie Norwood, the co-heads of the division.

He replaces Leon Bijou, who left SIFMA in July 2010 and became inhouse counsel at U.S. Bancorp Investments.

“David brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in legal and regulatory affairs,” Decker said. “We’re pleased to have him join our team.”

Norwood added, “David’s proven ability to manage municipal securities issues from both a business and legal perspective will serve our members well.”

Most recently, Cohen was managing counsel for ethics and compliance at Cablevision Systems Corp. He started at that company in 2009.

But before joining Cablevision Systems, he was at UBS for eight years. When he left the firm he was executive director and regulatory compliance business manager for UBS’ municipal securities group. In that post, he served as principal business liaison with regulators and participated in a number of internal and external committees, including SIFMA’s municipal legal advisory committee. He also developed compliance procedures and standards for initiatives and new laws such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the USA PATRIOT Act.

“He’s really smart. He’s energetic. I think he’ll be a great addition to the SIFMA team,” said David Levy, founder and principal at Municipal Regulatory Consulting LLC, who was formerly an executive director and manager of UBS’ municipal securities legal group.

Before joining UBS, Cohen was executive director of the New York State Democratic Committee, where he worked from 1995 to 2001. He was chief of staff to the state chairperson, supervising the committee’s daily operations and overseeing compliance with election law and reporting requirements. 

He began his career as a litigation associate at Hart & Hume from 1992 to 1994. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in political science from Union College and a law degree from Hofstra University School of Law.

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