Ira D. Hammerman

Ira Hammerman is a Bates Group Managing Director with nearly 40 years of experience in the financial services industry. Before joining Bates Group, Mr. Hammerman was Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of SIFMA, where he oversaw SIFMA’s legal advocacy efforts and outside counsel relationships. Beginning in 2004, Mr. Hammerman oversaw SIFMA’s legal and compliance-related advocacy, including comment letters, litigation, and regulatory relationships. His tenure covered a wide range of strategic issues impacting the industry, from its response to the Credit Crisis of 2008 to the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010 and from SIFMA’s advocacy on SRO Reform to its pursuit of the best-interest standard of care for broker-dealers, the preservation of the commission brokerage model of financial advice for retail clients, and the industry response to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr. Hammerman was also a member of the Executive Committee of SIFMA’s Compliance & Legal Society where he routinely collaborated with the senior most business, legal, and compliance leaders in the financial services industry and became known for his thought-provoking interviews of high-profile industry regulators and leaders at conferences and events.

Prior to joining SIFMA, Mr. Hammerman was a partner of Clifford Chance, where he represented over a 19-year period the financial services industry on a wide variety of securities regulatory and enforcement matters before the SEC, FINRA, and state regulatory authorities. His practice focused on securities regulation of U.S. and foreign financial institutions, including broker-dealers, investment advisers, banks, and investment companies. A substantial part of his practice included representation of financial institutions with respect to trading, compliance, and enforcement matters.

Mr. Hammerman is based in Park City, Utah where he serves as a board member and active volunteer with the National Ability Center, a charitable organization whose mission is to empower individuals of all abilities by building self-esteem, confidence and lifetime skills through sport, recreation, and educational programs.