The top U.S. securities regulator on Tuesday named Dan Berkovitz, a Commissioner at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), to begin the role of general counsel from November 1.

The statement by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said John Coates will leave that post in October to return to academia.

Berkovitz, who previously served as the CFTC’s general counsel from 2009 to 2013, also held the position of partner and co-chair of the futures and derivatives practice at the law firm of WilmerHale and taught at Georgetown University Law School.