Overview
Litigation and Arbitration
We handle broker-customer and broker-employee litigations and arbitrations, litigation against the SEC, FINRA, other regulatory and self-regulatory organizations, and disciplinary hearings and appeals, and we provide counsel on regulatory matters. In addition, we represent clients in an array of employment and ERISA disputes, and practice in the FINRA Dispute Resolution, JAMS and American Arbitration Authority (AAA) arbitration forums and before the SEC, FINRA, Department of Labor (DOL) and state regulatory bodies.
Enforcement Investigations and Regulatory Examinations
Team members defend broker-dealers and their affiliated investment advisers, hedge funds, private equity firms, trading firms, and officers, directors, and registered representatives in enforcement investigations by the SEC, FINRA, other regulatory and self-regulatory organizations, state attorneys general offices and the Department of Justice (DOJ). We have extensive experience successfully defending enforcement investigations, leading internal investigations to assess issues such as self-reporting, and counseling clients through high-stakes regulatory examinations by the SEC and FINRA.
Compliance
We draft and review compliance manuals, codes of ethics, valuation and pricing procedures, portfolio-trading policies, proxy voting procedures, selective disclosure policies, anti–money laundering programs and business continuity plans, and we advise on annual compliance testing and risk assessments as well as Regulation Best Interest, ERISA and DOL fiduciary issues.
FinTech
We assist clients with issues related to drafting and reviewing technology and data agreements regarding high-frequency trading, evaluating infrastructure for matching engines and dark pools, risk checks, tools for proprietary trading, and market data distribution and licensing. Our attorneys also consult on financial big data and analytics, FINRA reporting and records management, and low-latency data connectivity services.