MarketCounsel Adds Three More All-Stars in Continuing to Expand its Roster

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  • Andrew Wels, Richard Chen and Mark Simmelkjaer are latest attorneys to join the venerable consulting firm to independent advisors.
  • Wels will assume role of chief compliance counsel; Chen as regulatory counsel; and Simmelkjaer business counsel.
  • Latest additions bolster the firm’s veteran group of securities industry legal and business talent.

MarketCounsel, the leading business and regulatory compliance consulting firm to the country’s preeminent entrepreneurial investment advisors, announced that it has recruited three more top securities industry attorneys today.  This brings to eight the number of senior level hires the firm has made this year, to support the growth and address the threats to the nation’s top independent registered investment advisers. 

Andy Wels joins the firm as chief compliance counsel after spending years as head of legal and compliance affairs for some of the most prominent financial services firms in the country including Bloomberg, Cantor Fitzgerald, TD Ameritrade, Dreyfus and JP Morgan Chase.  Prior to his private sector career, he was an enforcement attorney with the SEC and staff attorney with FINRA.  Wels graduated from The Wharton School and Boston University School of Law.

Rich Chen brings over a dozen years of spot-on experience with New York’s finest financial services-focused law firms, including Arnold & Porter, Schulte Roth, and K&L Gates to MarketCounsel’s regulatory group.  Most recently, he was the editor-in-chief of the Hedge Fund Law Report.  Chen received both undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard University and Harvard Law School, respectively.

Mark Simmelkjaer joins the firm as business counsel and will add seasoned legal and business advice to the firm.  Mark started his career at the corporate finance and securities group of the New York law firm, Akin Gump, and then became an investment banker before directing the legal affairs of a startup through its sale.  He received his bachelor’s degree from Georgetown, where he played Division I baseball, his law degree from Duke University School of Law, and his MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business.  

"This is a transformative year for MarketCounsel,” says president and CEO, Brian Hamburger. “Make no mistake about it; we are relentlessly assembling a world-class, independent consulting firm to support independent advisors.  Credit the success of the independent movement that men and women with these credential and experience want to call this place home.”

The new hires come at a time of rapid growth for the firm and their growth-oriented, independent investment advisor clients.  They join just in time too, as preparations are well under way for MarketCounsel Summit 2015, which will debut in Miami Beach at the Fontainebleau Hotel from December 7-11.

To speak to a MarketCounsel spokesperson about this news announcement, please contact Jason Lahita at 973-460-7837 or marketcounsel@ficommpartners.com.

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Press Contacts:

FiComm Partners

Jason Lahita -- 973-460-7837, jason.lahita@ficommpartners.com

Nabil Ashour -- 917-210-0099, nabil.ashour@ficommpartners.com  

About MarketCounsel

MarketCounsel is the leading business and regulatory consultancy to some of the country’s preeminent independent investment advisers throughout their lifecycle. From its roots in 2000, MarketCounsel has been steadfast in its mission to deliver solutions to the challenges faced by entrepreneurs in a fast growing industry and has emerged as one of its most effective advocates.

From the initial launch of an investment adviser to its outsourced compliance platform to its business growth and succession strategies, MarketCounsel consistently delivers extraordinary service and trusted counsel by leveraging advanced technology and sound business processes. The MarketCounsel Summit is the annual gathering for the country’s top independent investment advisers and serves as both spark and catalyst for conversation among industry leaders.

Offering 360° of RIA knowledge, advice and guidance, MarketCounsel is the most trusted partner throughout the lifecycle of an independent adviser and works with these business owners at all stages.  MarketCounsel provides true end-to-end business solutions for advisors, from start-up through exit. Visit www.marketcounsel.com for more information.

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