Biography

Professor of Law

J.D., 1992, Georgia State University
M.B.A., 1983, University of Miami
B.A. 1980, Emory University
Certificate of International Business and Commercial Law, 1990, University of Pacific School of Law, London, England

Biography

Professor Cheryl Nichols is a member of the faculty of the Howard University School of law, where she as taught courses on securities regulation, broker-dealer regulation, diversity and global capital markets, and commercial law since 2004. Professor Nichols teaches and writes about international and domestic securities regulation, broker/dealer regulation, securities enforcement, corporate law and diversity in the financial services industry.

Prior to teaching at Howard School of Law, Professor Nichols established and operated a securities clinic at SUNY Buffalo Law School, which provided legal assistance in resolving investor-broker disputes and unbiased investment education. The Securities Clinic was one of the first institutional participants in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Securities Arbitration Pilot Program.

Prior to her teaching career, Professor Nichols was a Senior Counsel in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Enforcement Division at its Atlanta Regional Office. While at the SEC, Ms. Nichols prosecuted cases in the areas of securities fraud, broker/dealer registration, and municipal securities. She was also a surety underwriter at Safeco Insurance Companies, a financial analyst at American Express, and a credit manager at Royal Trust Bank.

Professor Nichols is a frequent speaker and panelist before bar associations, professional groups and academic bodies and has presented and published numerous securities related articles in a wide array of reference journals. She also serves a Vice-chair of the International Securities & Capital Markets Committee and a member of the Business Law Section of the ABA and as a public arbitrator for the Financial Industry Regulatory Association (FINRA). Professor Nichols received her Juris Doctorate from Georgia State University and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Miami.

Publications

Books

In Progress: CHERYL C. NICHOLS and JASMINE ABRAHAM, BROKER-DEALER REGULATION: CASES AND ANALYSIS (Upcoming)

Articles

Addressing Inept SEC Enforcement Efforts: Lessons from Madoff, the Hedge Fund Industry, and Title IV of the Dodd-Frank Act for US and Global Financial Systems, Upcoming May 2011, Northwestern Journal of International Law and Business, 2011 Symposium Issue—Moving Forward: How the Global Financial Crisis Changes International Business Law

Mutual Recognition Based on Substituted Compliance: An Integral Component of the SEC’s Mandate, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Journal of International Law & Commercial Regulation, Vol. 34, Page 101. January 2009.

H.R. 2179, The Securities Fraud Deterrence and Investor Restitution Act of 2004: A Testament to Selective Federal Preemption, Suffolk Transnational Law Review, Vol. 31, Page 33. Spring 2008.

The Importance of Selective Federal Preemption in the US Securities Regulatory Framework: A Lesson From Canada Our Neighbor to the North, Chapman Law Review, Volume 10, No.2, Winter 2006.

Arbitrator Selection at the NASD: Investor Perception of a Pro-Securities Industry Bias, Ohio State Journal On Dispute Resolution (Published in Cooperation with the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution), Volume 15, No.1, 1999.

Professional Contributions

Professor Nichols has been an active participant and leader in the work of the International Law Section of the American Bar Association. She currently serves as a Vice Chair of the International Securities and Capital Markets Committee and as a Vice Chair of the Diversity Committee. In this position, her duties include organization and participation in ABA programming. Programming topics include recent developments in insider trading and market abuse regulation in the US, UK/EU and Asia and the impact of Section 342 of the Dodd-Frank Act on diversity practices in the US financial services industry. Professor Nichols is also a member the Business Law Section of the ABA.

Professor Nichols also serves on the legislative committee of the National Association of Securities Professionals (NASP) and is a member of its Plan Sponsor Advisory Committee. She regulatory contributes to NASP’s annual legislative symposium and participated as panelist discussing the impact of Section 342 of the Dodd-Frank Act.

In addition, Professor Nichols is a permanent member on the roster of lecturers in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Law Student Observer Program in its Atlanta District Office. The Law Student Observer Program provides exposure for law students to the operation of the SEC and to the regulation of U.S. securities markets. Her lecture topics focus primarily on the interface of the U.S. securities regulatory framework with the regulatory framework of the global securities markets.

• Georgia State Bar Association, member
• New York State Bar Association, member
• National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., arbitrator