SEC Appoints New General Counsel

The Securities and Exchange Commission named as its general counsel Washington lawyer Giovanni Prezioso, who has represented Wall Street’s biggest firms on regulatory issues.

Prezioso, 44, a partner with Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton, joins the SEC as Chairman Harvey Pitt faces pressure to tighten accounting oversight after the collapse of Enron Corp. . He will succeed David Becker on May 6.

In his 20-year career at Cleary Gottlieb, Prezioso has represented the Securities Industry Assn., the New York Stock Exchange and major brokerage firms.

He hasn’t represented any of the large accounting firms, a Cleary spokeswoman said.