Josephine Vella
About Josephine Vella
Josephine Vella serves as Principal Counsel at FINRA, where she specializes in regulatory enforcement investigations related to securities laws. She has a strong background in legal practice, having held various roles in both public and private sectors since 2009.
Work at FINRA
Josephine Vella has been serving as Principal Counsel at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) since 2018. In this role, she focuses on regulatory enforcement investigations, particularly those involving securities laws and FINRA rules. Her responsibilities include negotiating settlements and drafting settlement documents. Vella collaborates with cross-functional teams to complete investigations and issue regulatory requests, leveraging her extensive legal expertise.
Education and Expertise
Josephine Vella studied at Brooklyn Law School from 2006 to 2009, where she developed her legal skills. Prior to that, she attended Syracuse University from 2000 to 2004. Vella possesses expertise in evaluating evidence, conducting legal research, and assessing litigation risk. Her background includes handling complex regulatory enforcement investigations, which enhances her capabilities in her current role at FINRA.
Professional Background
Josephine Vella has a diverse professional background in law. She worked as an Assistant United States Attorney at the United States Attorneys' Offices from 2014 to 2018. Prior to that, she served as a Commercial Litigation Associate at Gusrae Kaplan Nusbaum PLLC from 2012 to 2014. Vella also gained experience in mortgage fraud investigations at the United States Attorney's Office from 2010 to 2012 and worked as a Policy Advisor at the New York State Department of Financial Services from 2009 to 2010.
Early Career Experience
In the early stages of her career, Josephine Vella worked as a Summer Associate in Investment Bank Risk Management at UBS in 2008. She also completed a fellowship at the Manhattan Borough President's Office from 2009 to 2010. These roles contributed to her foundational knowledge and skills in the legal and financial sectors, paving the way for her subsequent positions.