NEW YORK (OCTOBER 30, 2025) – Sullivan & Cromwell LLP announced today that Adrienne A. Harris, Superintendent of the New York State Department of Financial Services (“DFS”) from August 2021 through October 2025, has re-joined the firm as Of Counsel and Policy Advisor resident in its New York office. Ms. Harris’ extensive experience in public service will enhance the firm’s preeminent Financial Services Group’s regulatory, advisory and enforcement practices. Ms. Harris also will return to academic work and board service.
As the longest-serving Superintendent in New York’s history, Ms. Harris worked to improve the financial system and played a significant role in shaping cryptocurrency development and regulation globally. She became the first New York Superintendent to serve as the state banking representative on the Financial Stability Oversight Council. DFS regulates nearly 3,000 banking, insurance, cryptocurrency and other financial services institutions. An overview of Ms. Harris’ work while at DFS can be found here.
“Our firm has long been a leader in the most sophisticated and high-stakes matters in the financial world,” said Sullivan & Cromwell Co-Chairs Robert Giuffra and Scott Miller. “We’re delighted to welcome Adrienne back to our firm as we continue to focus on providing the highest quality counsel to our financial services clients and expanding our work in global financial markets.”
“I’m thrilled to return to S&C, where I began my career, and to collaborate once again with this exceptional team,” said Ms. Harris.
Ms. Harris, who began her legal career as an associate at S&C representing U.S. and non-U.S. based clients on a wide variety of litigation, enforcement and regulatory matters, has significant government experience. In 2013, she joined the United States Department of the Treasury under President Obama, where she served as a Senior Advisor working on projects including financial reform efforts, identifying solutions to the student loan crisis, analyzing the nexus between foreign investment and national security, and working to promote financial inclusion and health in communities throughout the country.
In 2015, Ms. Harris was appointed Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, as part of the National Economic Council, where she managed the financial services portfolio, which included developing and executing strategies for financial reform and the implementation of the Dodd-Frank Act, consumer protections for the American public, cybersecurity and housing finance reform priorities. After leaving the White House in January 2017, she went on to serve as General Counsel and Chief Business Officer at States Title, Inc. (now DOMA), an insur-tech company which provides a more simple and affordable closing experience. Ms. Harris also served as a Professor of the Practice and as Faculty Co-Director at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy's Center on Finance, Law and Policy at the University of Michigan, as a Senior Advisor at the Brunswick Group in Washington, D.C., and on several corporate boards. Ms. Harris was nominated by New York Governor Kathy Hochul to lead New York’s Department of Financial Services in 2021.
“Through her government roles, Adrienne has made a significant contribution to shaping global banking, insurance, asset management and other financial services and cryptocurrency developments and regulation. She knows these areas incredibly well and will be a great resource for our clients. We could not be more excited to have her re-join the team,” said S&C Financial Institutions Group Managing Partner Mitch Eitel.
Ms. Harris earned her M.B.A. from NYU Stern School of Business, her J.D. from Columbia Law School, and her B.A. from Georgetown University.
About Sullivan & Cromwell's Financial Services Practice
S&C’s Financial Services Practice serves financial institutions of all sizes, including both U.S. and non-U.S. firms, fintech and other startups, and a number of financial services industry groups. Consistently top-ranked by leading publications such as Chambers, the group is distinguished by its industry focus and cross-disciplinary approach. Our financial services lawyers work on an integrated basis on matters involving the full range of our clients’ needs, such as mergers and acquisitions, bank regulation, capital markets, digital assets, fintech, economic sanctions and financial crime, commodities, futures and derivatives, consumer finance, and investigations and litigation.
About Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP is a global law firm that advises on major domestic and cross-border M&A; significant litigation and corporate investigations; finance and corporate transactions; and complex antitrust, regulatory, tax and estate planning matters. The firm’s hallmarks are the highest-quality independent advice and intense dedication to solving client problems. Founded in 1879, Sullivan & Cromwell has more than 1,000 lawyers located in offices in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Palo Alto, London, Frankfurt, Paris, Brussels, Hong Kong, Beijing, Tokyo, Melbourne and Sydney.