Robert E. Bostrom

Partner

Bob Bostrom leads SNR Denton’s global Financial Institutions and Funds sector team and is part of the firm’s Financial Regulatory Reform Special Situations team, which helps clients navigate the sweeping changes required by the Dodd-Frank Act. Bob also leads the firm’s multidisciplinary corporate governance, board advisory and crisis management practice, which draws together the talents of the firm’s white collar, internal and governmental investigations, public policy, capital markets, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) enforcement, corporate governance and state attorneys general lawyers and professionals. He has extensive experience advising boards of directors, in Dodd-Frank Act implementation, residential mortgage finance, securitization and servicing, and government sponsored enterprise (GSE) strategy.

Representative Experience

Bob was named executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary of Freddie Mac in February 2006 and served in that capacity until July 2011. In his role as principal legal counsel to Freddie Mac, Bob had oversight and management responsibility for all legal and regulatory strategies, services, and resources and corporate governance matters. While at Freddie Mac, Bob directed Freddie Mac's legal strategy through the financial crisis and recovery and the implementation of the Dodd-Frank Act. He has been recognized as one of the premier banking lawyers in the US, especially in the areas of risk management and compliance, regulatory affairs, litigation, and internal and government investigations.

Bob has worked at the highest levels of leadership in the banking sector, in private legal practice and inside a GSE during a period that gave rise to unprecedented business, legal and reputational challenges. Bob is among an elite group of general counsel who have played a pivotal role through the financial crisis and recovery and in navigating a gauntlet of investigations, enforcement actions and litigation during the financial crisis.

Bob counseled Freddie Mac's board of directors and executive management through the appointment of a conservator and advised on the creation of a new corporate governance structure and appointment of a new board of directors, working closely with the Federal Housing Finance Agency. He oversaw Freddie Mac's response to multiple inquiries and investigations initiated by Congressional committees, the US SEC and other federal regulators, as well as to securities class and derivitative actions. Bob also advised on implementing a critical US$100 billion senior preferred stock purchase agreement with the US Department of the Treasury.

The National Law Journal selected Bob as among Washington's most influential in-house counsel in 2011, and Corporate Counsel magazine recognized Freddie Mac, under Bob's leadership, among the Best Legal Departments in 2011.

Bob joined Freddie Mac from Winston & Strawn LLP, where he had been managing partner of the New York office, a member of the firm's executive committee and head of its financial institutions practice. He originally joined Winston & Strawn in 1990. At Winston & Strawn, in addition to his financial institutions practice, Bob advised clients in connection with corporate governance and Sarbanes-Oxley issues, the structuring of compliance and enterprise risk management programs and internal controls, Board of Director and Audit Committee issues, regulatory examinations and strategic planning. He advised various financial institutions in connection with federal and state supervisory actions and internal investigations involving compliance problems and potential violations of law.

From 1992 until 1996, Bob served as executive vice president of legal, regulatory and compliance and general counsel of National Westminster Bancorp (NatWest), a US$32 billion bank holding company. At NatWest, he was the executive officer responsible for corporate governance, legal, regulatory and compliance affairs, including regulatory examinations and supervisory relationships. He was a member of the Office of the Chief Executive Officer, the Management Committee and the Risk Policy Committee. He also served on the board of directors of NatWest Bank (Delaware) and Coutts International. Earlier in his career he was an attorney with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Bob's legal career spans more than 30 years. He has extensive experience advising boards of directors and committees on financial institutions regulation, corporate governance and Sarbanes-Oxley issues, director education, compliance and enterprise risk management programs, and crisis management. He is a frequent lecturer, and has written extensively on these subjects.

Honors and Awards

• Named one of the most influential in-house counsel in Washington, DC, by The National Law Journal / Legal Times in 2011
• Honorable mention for Best Legal Department of the Year in 2011 by Corporate Counsel magazine
• Employer of Choice Award, Minority Corporate Counsel Association, 2007
• Recognized as one of Distinguished General Counsels by the New York County Lawyers Association, December 2008
• World Recognition of Distinguished General Counsel by Directors Roundtable and The National Law Journal, 2007
• Named in EuroMoney Guide to the World's Leading Corporate Governance Lawyers, 2003
• Top 45 General Counsel Under 45, Corporate Counsel magazine, 1996

Organizations

• Conference Board's Chief Legal Officers Council, 2006–2011
• Executive Board's General Counsel Roundtable, 2006–2011
• Board of Directors, Washington Metropolitan Chapter of the American Corporate Counsel Association, 2010–2011
• Board of Directors, Minority Corporate Counsel Association, 2011
• Law Firm Advisory Committee, Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, 2002–2006
• Duke Directors Education Institute, Onsite Director Education Program, 2003–2006
• Executive Committee, American Branch, International Law Association, 1991–1992
• Legislative Liaison Advisory Committee, American Bankers Association, 1993–1996
• Banking Law Committee, American Bar Association
• Committee of Counsel, New York Clearing House Association, 1993–1996
• Banking Law Committee, Association of the Bar of the City of New York, 1996–1999
• Program Advisory Board, Brennan Center for Justice, 2002–2006
• Board of Advisors, Bank Mergers and Acquisitions, 1994–1999

Publications

• "Recent Developments in Mortgage Servicing Rights," SNR Denton client alert, February 14, 2012
• "Delivering The Compliance Message—The General Counsel As Persuasive Counselor," The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, October 2007
• "Responding To The Evolving Roles And Responsibilities Of Boards Of Directors And Audit Committees, The Importance Of A Compliance Risk Assessment—Part II," The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, December 2005
• "Responding To The Evolving Roles And Responsibilities Of Boards Of Directors And Audit Committees, The Importance Of A Compliance Risk Assessment—Part I," The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, November 2005
• "Significant Developments Affecting Financial Institutions," Global Banking and Financial Policy Review, Euromoney, 2004–2005
• "Compliance, Risk Management and Internal Controls," International Financial Law Review, Euromoney, 2004
• "Compliance, Risk Management And Internal Controls: A Checklist For Corporate Counsel Part II," The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, August 2004
• Compliance, Risk Management And Internal Controls: A Checklist For Corporate Counsel Part I," The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, July 2004
• "Risk Management and Compliance: Increased Pressure in The Boardroom and on the Audit Committee," Global Corporate Governance Guide, 2004
• "Corporate Governance and Risk Management: The Changing Role of the Board of Directors–From Resource to Oversight," Euromoney Compliance Officers' Handbook, 2004
• "Corporate Governance and Risk Management," International Corporate Governance Review, Euromoney, 2004
• "Corporate Governance Developments and Best Practices One Year After Sarbanes-Oxley–Part II," The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, November 2003
• "Corporate Governance Developments and Best Practices One Year After Sarbanes-Oxley–Part I," The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, October 2003
• "Corporate Governance and Sarbanes-Oxley," Euromoney Equity Capital Markets Handbook, 2003–2004
• "Corporate Governance in the United States," International Financial Law Review Guide to Corporate Governance, 2003
• "Significant Developments Affecting Financial Institutions in the United States," Global Banking and Financial Policy Review, 2003
• Co-author, "United States: Developments in the Regulation of Financial Institutions," International Financial Law Review Banking Yearbook, 2003
• "Recent Developments and Emerging Best Practices in Corporate Governance," International Corporate Governance Review, Euromoney, 2003
• "Corporate Governance, Risk Management and Compliance: Best Practices after Sarbanes-Oxley," Review of Corporate Governance, International Financial Law Review, 2002
• "Corporate Governance, Risk Management and Compliance After Sarbanes-Oxley: Some Thoughts on Best Practices and the Role of the General Counsel–Part II," The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, November 2002
• "Corporate Governance, Risk Management and Compliance After Sarbanes-Oxley: Some Thoughts on Best Practices and the Role of the General Counsel - Part I," The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, October 2002

Presentations

• Chair, ACC Chief Legal Officer Think Tank, "Navigating Your Client through Multiple Congressional, Government and Civil Proceedings," 2010
• Speaker, Corporate Board Member and NYSE EuroNext General Counsel Forum "Managing Parallel Congressional, Governmental and Civil Proceedings," 2010
• Speaker, Directors Roundtable and The National Law Journal, World Recognition of Distinguished General Counsel, 2007
• Speaker, Directors Education Institute at Duke University, 2003–2006
• Speaker, Financial Services Roundtable, Lawyers Council, 2005 and 2008
• Speaker, Minority Corporate Counsel Association, Regulatory Scrutiny and In House Attorneys, 2007
• Speaker, ODX Best Directors Conference, 2006
• Speaker, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Bank Supervision Group Conference, 2005
• Speaker, PriceWaterhouseCoopers International Banking and Capital Markets Conference, 2004
• Speaker, "Corporate Counsel's Guide to Internal and External Investigations," American Conference Institute, 2004
• Speaker, "Bank Board Committees: Outlining Best Practices," Bank Director Magazine Conference, 2004

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