William Nissen

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William J. Nissen is an American attorney, civic leader and U.S. Navy veteran who has had a distinguished career in commodity and securities law, particularly in Chicago. He was a partner for over 35 years at the international law firm Sidley Austin, where he specialized in commodity and securities litigation and regulation. Nissen was deployed to Vietnam while serving in the U.S. Navy. 
== Background ==
Nissen's career has been marked by his extensive experience in commodity and securities law. He has been involved in numerous high-profile cases and has played a significant role in shaping legal precedents in these areas. His expertise extends to futures and derivatives law, regulatory compliance, and financial market litigation.
During his time at Sidley Austin, Nissen represented a wide range of clients, including futures commission merchants, introducing brokers, commodity trading advisors, commodity pool operators, and exchanges. He has argued cases before various courts and regulatory bodies, including the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
===Civic Involvement===
Nissen has been an active member of the Union League Club of Chicago ("ULCC") and its public affairs committee, whose mission is to educate members on issues of public concern and be an advocate on issues. During the 1990s, he led an effort of the public affairs committee and the ULCC to support a moratorium on the death penalty in Illinois. He served as secretary, second vice president and president of the civic and social club with roots back to the Civil War era. Nissen was president of the ULCC when it changed its policy to allow members to were blue jeans in the club, some of the time.
Nissen serves as a emeritus director of the Chicago Engineers Foundation of the ULCC.
== Notable Cases ==
Throughout his career, Nissen has been involved in several landmark cases that have shaped the landscape of commodity and securities law:
=== Commodity Trend Service Case ===
Nissen represented Commodity Trend Service in a case against the CFTC regarding the applicability of Commodity Trading Advisor (CTA) registration and anti-fraud provisions to publishers. This case raised important questions about First Amendment rights in financial publishing and helped establish precedents for the regulation of financial newsletters.
=== Quorum Properties vs. McDonald Case ===
In this case, Nissen represented McDonald Investments in a dispute over a swap agreement with Quorum Properties. The case highlighted the complexities of swap agreements and their regulatory requirements, ultimately affirming the enforceability of such agreements when entered into in good faith.
=== Treasury Bond Futures Trading Case ===
Nissen was involved in a significant CFTC enforcement case concerning trading practices in Treasury bond futures at the Chicago Board of Trade. The case dealt with ginzy trading, and an interpretation by the CFTC of it being noncompetitive trading. However, in the absence of pre-arrangement, it resulted in a ruling that favored the defendants represented by Nissen.
=== Post-Law Firm Career ===
After his tenure at Sidley Austin, Nissen has continued to engage with legal and social issues. He participated in the Advanced Leadership Initiative at Harvard University.
== Education ==
Nissen's educational includes:
* J.D., Harvard Law School
* Bachelor's degree, Northwestern University
* Certificate of Completion, Advanced Leadership Initiative, Harvard University
== References ==	
Category:Attorneys
Category:Commodity Law
Category:Securities Law
Category:Regulatory Compliance
Category:Sidley Austin
Category:Sidley Austin - Former Employees
Category:U.S. Navy Veterans