Linda Ieleja Gerstman joins Arete with over 20 years of experience in securities law in both the private sector and as a government prosecutor.  Linda most recently was Senior Investigation Counsel in the Enforcement Division of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.  She served in the Asset Management Unit, where she received specialized training and focused her investigations on investment advisers, investment companies, hedge funds, and private equity funds.  For nearly a decade previous to that, Linda was a Branch Chief in the Midwest Regional Office, supervising a team of attorneys in the investigation and prosecution of hundreds of matters involving a wide variety of securities law violations.

Prior to her service at the SEC, Linda was at Sidley Austin, where she worked on commercial disputes, including those involving securities and commodities fraud and internal corporate investigations.  A seasoned litigator, she is admitted to the Illinois bar, as well as the Northern District of Illinois (trial bar), the Eastern District of Wisconsin, the Eastern District of Michigan, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Linda received her B.A. (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) from Gustavus Adolphus College and her J.D. (cum laude) from the University of Minnesota.