The Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday moved to fill a key vacancy at the agency, promoting Mark D. Cahn to be its general counsel.

Mr. Cahn, currently the S.E.C.'s deputy general counsel, will take over the spot left by David M. Becker, who announced earlier this week that he will leave the agency at the end of February to return to the private sector.

Mr. Cahn, 49, joined the S.E.C. in 2009, after spending more than 20 years in private practice at WilmerHale LLP, where he represented firms that faced S.E.C. scrutiny.

Read the complete New York Times story, “S.E.C. Names New General Counsel.”