About Us

The Honorable Michael G. Oxley

Baker Hostetler is pleased to offer the unique perspective of Michael G. Oxley to our clients. Oxley is Of Counsel in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. In addition to his position with Baker Hostetler, he is vice-chairman of NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.

At Baker Hostetler, Oxley provides strategic advice to a large, international corporation that is on the cutting edge of technology developments in the energy and health sectors. He also counsels numerous clients on public policy, compliance, corporate governance and regulatory matters.

Oxley is in high demand as a speaker on a wide variety of business and economic topics, delivering remarks at firm events, as well as to business gatherings throughout the world. In addition to dozens of U.S. events, he has delivered keynote addresses at corporate governance conferences in Hong Kong, Tel Aviv, Sao Paulo and Mumbai. He offers his analysis of events in recent financial history, as well as his insights into the future of development of the global capital markets. His strong arguments on the benefits of market-driven economies and international engagement have made him a worldwide ambassador for the U.S. capital markets.

Intersection of Business and Government

Michael Oxley comes to the firm with a distinctive set of skills, after a career in public life that placed him at the nexus of business and government.

The former chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Oxley has developed a deep knowledge of the banking, securities, insurance, and real estate sectors of the economy, as well as the nation's capital markets. From hedge funds to mutual funds to exchange-traded funds, Mike Oxley knows financial services. As the former vice chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications, he developed his capability in the energy and telecommunications industries that are crucial to our future prosperity.

As a result of his legislative work, he has a thorough understanding of the federal regulatory system and the financial regulators, as well as related corporate gatekeepers, such as the self-regulatory organizations, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and the credit ratings agencies. He also brings to Baker Hostetler a detailed understanding of the government-sponsored enterprises and their operation of the secondary mortgage markets, as well as the impact on the credit markets for both institutions and individuals.

Transparency and Corporate Governance

As an author of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, Mike Oxley's name is synonymous with high-quality corporate governance and transparency in corporate reporting.

Along with others in Congress and the executive branch, he helped to lead the nation through an era of corporate scandal and bankruptcy that began shocking the financial world just a few months after 9/11. During this time, approximately $8 trillion in market capitalization evaporated, along with investor confidence. As chairman, Oxley held the first hearing in Congress on the collapse of Enron. He crafted and passed through the House of Representatives the first version of the legislation that would eventually become Sarbanes-Oxley.

As a result of the law, corporate financial statements became more reliable and investors returned to the marketplace. While the costs of the internal control portion of the legislation have been controversial, privately held companies and nonprofit organizations have been voluntarily adopting key Sarbanes-Oxley principles of accountability and transparency. In addition, numerous countries throughout the world have passed or are considering their own versions of Sarbanes-Oxley, including the European Union, Italy, Japan, Australia, Israel and others.

Ohio Roots with Global Reach

Originally from Findlay, Ohio, Mike Oxley knows the companies and the business climate of his inventive and industrious home state. More recently, he has been involved in worldwide growth of the capital markets. Like Baker Hostetler, he has Ohio roots, but a broad vision for the global future of American business.

Leveraging Insight

To learn more about how Baker Hostetler clients are benefiting from Mike Oxley’s counsel and insight, please contact his office at 202.861.1568, or by e-mail: .