Cynthia Adams

Managing Director, Legal & Compliance, Jefferies

Cynthia Bookhart Adams is a prominent legal professional with extensive experience in the financial services industry. She previously held the position of Managing Director and General Counsel for Litigation, Regulatory and Employment Legal at Jefferies LLC, a global investment banking firm.1 4 In this role, she led a team responsible for a wide array of litigation, enforcement, and investigation matters.1

Career Highlights

Prior to her role at Jefferies, Adams held several notable positions:

Deputy General Counsel at TD Bank N.A. (her current position)1 3
In-house legal roles at Morgan Stanley and Citigroup1
Represented financial institutions in regulatory investigations at WilmerHale1
Enforcement attorney with FINRA (formerly NASD Regulation)1
Started her legal career at Sullivan & Cromwell1

Education and Early Career

Adams has a strong educational background:

Law degree with honors from Howard University School of Law, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review1
Undergraduate degree from the College of William & Mary1
Federal clerkship with the Hon. Emmet G. Sullivan in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia1

Professional Contributions and Affiliations

Adams is actively involved in various professional organizations:

Board member of the Harlem-based Northside Center for Child Development1
Executive Committee Member for the Compliance & Legal Society of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA)1
Fellow of the American Bar Association1
Member of Corporate Counsel Women of Color (CCWC)1

Notable Achievements

At Jefferies, Adams made significant contributions:

Authored the firm's first "Business of Integrity" training in 20122
Coined the phrase "Business of Integrity," which is still used at Jefferies2
Recognized as a culture carrier for ethics, integrity, emotional intelligence, and respect2

Adams is known for her eloquent and thoughtful approach to addressing important social issues, as evidenced by her powerful message regarding racial injustice and mental health shared by Jefferies' leadership in 2020.2 5