07 Jan 2026
Nekia Hackworth joins Jones Day as partner in Investigations & White Collar Defense in Atlanta
"Nekia Hackworth joins Jones Day in Atlanta as a partner in the Investigations & White Collar Defense Practice, focusing on white-collar investigations, enforcement and compliance."
Ms. Hackworth brings more than 20 years of experience in government and private practice representing clients in white-collar criminal cases and civil litigation, conducting government and internal investigations, and counseling companies on corporate compliance matters. She served most recently as the Deputy Director of Enforcement in the Southeast Region for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, supervising more than 250 professionals across Washington, Atlanta, and Miami and 11 jurisdictions, and overseeing hundreds of investigations including suspected market manipulation, insider trading, and investment adviser fraud. Her prior public-service appointments included four years as Director of the SEC’s Atlanta Regional Office, eight years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, and nearly two years as Senior Counsel and Associate Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.
In private practice, Ms. Hackworth served as a litigation partner advising clients on corporate internal investigations, government investigations, white-collar criminal defense, and complex commercial litigation. She joins Jones Day as a partner in the firm’s Investigations & White Collar Defense Practice.