General Counsel Gordon Seymour to Leave PCAOB

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board announced today that J. Gordon Seymour, general counsel, will leave the PCAOB this month after 15 years at the organization and more than 20 years in public service.

Mr. Seymour has been the PCAOB general counsel since February 2007. During his tenure, he provided legal counsel on virtually all matters.

"Gordon has served the PCAOB with distinction and enjoys the respect and admiration of the entire staff," said PCAOB Chairman William D. Duhnke. "I thank him for his service and for his help facilitating a smooth transition for the new Board. We wish him all the best."

Among other things, Mr. Seymour and his colleagues in the Office of General Counsel developed the PCAOB operating rules, advised the Board on all enforcement, inspection and standard-setting matters, and led the successful defense of the PCAOB in the Free Enterprise Fund case that went to the U.S. Supreme Court.

"It has been the greatest honor and privilege of my professional career to be a part of the PCAOB for the last 15 years and to have worked with dedicated and talented colleagues in the Office of General Counsel and throughout the PCAOB," said Mr. Seymour.

"I owe particular thanks to Chairman Duhnke and former Chairmen Doty, Olson and the late William McDonough, as well as all the Board members, for their leadership and support," he added.

Mr. Seymour previously served as PCAOB deputy general counsel from November 2003 to February 2007. Prior to that, he was acting general counsel from February through November 2003, as the PCAOB commenced operations. He also served as PCAOB secretary from 2003 through 2012.

Mr. Seymour began his legal career as a law clerk to Judge Ralph K. Winter of the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and as a litigation associate at Williams & Connolly. He joined the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission in 1997, where he spent almost six years primarily in the SEC Office of General Counsel.

He is a graduate of Yale College and the University of Chicago Law School, where he was topics and comments editor of the Law Review. He is a member of the New York and District of Columbia bars.