Milnor Law PLLC

About

Christina Milnor

Founder and Principal Attorney

Christina Milnor, founder of Milnor Law PLLC and former Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Founded
2025
Office
Arlington, VA
Member
Virginia State Bar (since 2009) · DC Bar (since 2010)

Christina Milnor founded Milnor Law PLLC after twelve years inside the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. She most recently served as Assistant Secretary in the Office of the Secretary, with prior senior roles in the Office of the General Counsel, the Office of the Whistleblower, and the Office of Administrative Law Judges.

Before joining the Commission, she practiced in WilmerHale's Securities and Enforcement group and clerked for the Honorable Colleen McMahon on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Christina is admitted to the Virginia State Bar and the District of Columbia Bar.

How Christina approaches the work

Lawyers are trained to focus on the work itself, not to perform. That training shapes how the firm communicates: directly, candidly, and only when there is something useful to say.

Having practiced in private defense and served inside the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Christina brings both perspectives to each matter. She knows how investigative staff develop cases, how settlement frameworks are evaluated, and where the procedural and substantive seams are.

She also helps clients navigate complex securities regulatory regimes. That means analyzing how overlapping rules apply to a particular transaction or business, and translating that analysis into decisions the client can actually make.

In Christina's experience, a thoughtful question is often more valuable than a quick answer. The firm spends time on the framing because that is where most enforcement risk is shaped.

Selected credentials

  • 2014–2025Assistant Secretary, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
  • 2010–2014Securities and Enforcement, WilmerHale
  • 2009–2010Law Clerk to the Hon. Colleen McMahon, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

Education

  • 2009J.D., University of Virginia School of Law
  • 2006A.B., Government, Harvard College

Bar admissions

  • Virginia State Bar
  • District of Columbia Bar

Professional associations

Certifications

  • National Council for Mental Wellbeing

    Adult Mental Health First Aid USA

    Trained to provide initial help to someone experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge. Course carries 7.5 contact hours of continuing education credit.

    Effective May 21, 2026 · Expires May 21, 2029

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