Venable's highly regarded Securities Enforcement and Compliance practice offers clients comprehensive legal advice and representation derived from an experienced team of professionals with in-depth subject matter knowledge. Our attorneys have represented clients before and against all manner of regulatory and law enforcement agencies.
We draw on our decades of combined experience as attorneys at the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) Division of Enforcement, assistant U.S. attorneys in the Department of Justice (DOJ), state and local prosecutors, and in-house counsel at banks and other financial institutions.
Venable attorneys represent companies and individuals in all phases of civil and criminal investigations and enforcement proceedings concerning securities, banking, consumer finance, accounting, mortgage, and corporate governance issues. From bribery and financial fraud allegations to broker-dealer and investment adviser registration and compliance issues, we aggressively get straight to the crux of issues and dig deep to find out what's driving government inquiries and investigations.
We regularly help clients navigate investigations by the SEC, DOJ, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), inspector general offices, state attorney general offices, and state securities regulatory agencies.
Our in-depth knowledge of the applicable laws and familiarity with regulatory processes are invaluable assets we use to persuade regulators to end initial inquiries or investigation before they become criminal or enforcement matters. Fortune 500 companies, mid-size and small businesses, and multinational corporations rely on our broad experience to avoid regulatory pitfalls, manage the risks of litigation, and protect their reputations. We also frequently advise and represent hedge funds, public companies, and individuals, including financial industry professionals, corporate executives, securities and compliance professionals, lawyers, and accountants. Financial institutions, broker-dealers, investment advisers, investment funds, and accounting firms benefit from our knowledge and experience as well.
SEC Investigations and Enforcement Proceedings
We represent clients under investigation for a range of allegedly improper conduct, including accounting fraud, insider trading, securities fraud, registration violations, market manipulation, disclosure misstatements or omissions, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations, broker-dealer misconduct, conflicts of interest, data breaches, and crypto matters.
Parallel Investigations and Proceedings
Our combined enforcement, litigation, compliance, and regulatory experience is the reason we are frequently retained to handle parallel civil and criminal investigations, as well as grand jury investigations. We also regularly represent clients in parallel proceedings brought by multiple agencies and criminal authorities. We help clients mitigate risk, assess litigation options, negotiate favorable settlements, and, if necessary, prevail at trial.
Compliance
Our attorneys assist clients with the development, auditing, and testing of compliance policies, procedures, and systems. We also advise clients on best practices regarding records management and develop and conduct client-specific compliance training programs. We have created compliance and supervisory procedures and trading desk manuals for broker-dealer firms and investment advisers, drafted insider trading procedures, and advised companies on methods to ensure compliance with the FCPA, anti-bribery statutes, and anti-money laundering laws. We work closely with Venable's Legislative Group to advise clients with respect to legislation affecting financial institutions.
Internal Investigations
We conduct internal investigations and regularly advise special board committees, audit committees, and individual corporate directors on a full range of fiduciary responsibilities, financial reporting obligations, and corporate governance matters. We have advised executives and boards on financial restatements, internal/external auditor concerns, whistleblower allegations, shareholder derivative demands, and other corporate governance and internal control issues.
