The last two decades have been marked by robust enforcement of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) by the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). In line with its “shock...more
Amid a challenging environment for exits, especially in the wake of the recent market volatility, private fund managers continue to pursue alternative strategies, such as term extensions and liquidity solutions, to ride out...more
With Paul Atkins as the new SEC Chair, the agency’s priorities have shifted away from many of the aggressive policies of former Chair Gensler. The first four months of the Republican controlled SEC saw a dramatic shift in the...more
6/18/2025
/ Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Fund Managers ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Investment Management ,
Private Funds ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Retail Investors ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation
Over the past year, regulatory scrutiny of the credit markets has intensified, with the SEC investigating the potential use of material nonpublic information (“MNPI”) relating to credit instruments. The SEC brought a number...more
Confession: writing this in May 2025, we cannot predict with confidence what the rest of 2025 will bring. The year has already seen four months of change and upheaval – political, regulatory, and economic. The new US...more
5/1/2025
/ Compliance ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Investment Funds ,
Portfolio Companies ,
Private Equity ,
Private Funds ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation
Paul Atkins, who has been nominated by President Trump to serve as Chairperson of the Securities & Exchange Commission, last week completed a short confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate Banking Committee. Despite its...more
As we head further into 2025, the landscape of SEC exams and enforcement is poised for significant shifts. How will the SEC adapt to emerging trends and evolving market dynamics? In the first issue of Beyond the Deal in 2025,...more
The Voting Record and Public Statements of the Commissioners Provide a Roadmap -
There has been much speculation on what SEC enforcement will look like under a new administration, especially now that President-elect Donald...more
12/23/2024
/ Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Enforcement ,
Pay-To-Play ,
Penalties ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
Transparency ,
Trump Administration
On November 22, 2024, the SEC’s Division of Enforcement announced its Enforcement Results for Fiscal Year 2024. Below are some key takeaways for fund managers: Total enforcement actions were down from recent years. The...more
It is no secret that the incoming Republican Administration has been skeptical of the federal government’s climate change measures, which brings further uncertainty to the SEC’s new climate change rules (the “Rules”). To be...more
11/19/2024
/ Appeals ,
California ,
Capital Markets ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Final Rules ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
The Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) National Examination Program is designed to improve compliance, prevent fraud, monitor risk and inform policy. It is also a consistent source of referrals to the SEC’s Division...more
11/13/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Compliance ,
Confidentiality Agreements ,
Custody Rule ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Filing Requirements ,
Fraud ,
Fund Managers ,
Greenwashing ,
Indemnification ,
MNPI ,
Pay-To-Play ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Retail Investors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Whistleblowers
Following its adoption almost one year ago of amended rules accelerating filing deadlines for Schedules 13G and 13D (and the imminent effectiveness of the new deadlines for 13Gs), the SEC has continued to bring enforcement...more
In a significant enforcement action, the SEC sanctioned a private fund manager for failing to establish and maintain adequate policies and procedures to prevent the misuse of material nonpublic information (MNPI) while...more
9/9/2024
/ Collateralized Loan Obligations ,
Compliance ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Equity ,
Fraud ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
MNPI ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
On June 14, 2024, the SEC announced an enforcement action settlement with a Pennsylvania-based hedge fund manager for violating the Marketing Rule under the Investment Advisers Act. The SEC found that the adviser had misled...more
As we reach the midpoint of 2024, the SEC has maintained its rigorous enforcement stance on the private funds industry, proposing new rules and oversight tools to better identify and investigate market practices. As 2024...more
6/14/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Data Retention ,
Employee Training ,
Enforcement ,
Fraud ,
Fund Managers ,
Hedge Funds ,
Indemnification ,
Instant Messaging Apps ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
New Rules ,
Pay-To-Play ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Private Funds ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Retail Investors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
In a significant decision released Wednesday morning, a unanimous three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit vacated what have come to be known as the Private Fund Adviser Rules, a set of rules and...more
The SEC’s recent settlement involving a “pay-to-play” rule violation by a private equity firm is a timely reminder for fund managers, especially with the November elections approaching.
As a refresher, Rule 206(4)-5 of...more
5/29/2024
/ Compliance ,
Employee Training ,
Enforcement ,
Exempt Reporting Advisers (ERAs) ,
Fund Managers ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Pay-To-Play ,
Political Contributions ,
Private Equity Firms ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Settlement
Hope for a resurgence during 2024 in Venture Capital fundraising, investment, and returns was strong at the beginning of this year, with optimism fueled by the recovery in 2023 of U.S. stock markets (lead by the performance...more
4/30/2024
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Corporate Transparency Act ,
Exempt Reporting Advisers (ERAs) ,
FinCEN ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investment ,
Investors ,
Private Equity Funds ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Stock Markets ,
Terrorist Financing Regulations ,
Venture Capital
The SEC’s new and proposed rules on cybersecurity and cyber-incident reporting will have a dual impact on private investment advisers and funds.
First, the proposal by the SEC will impose cybersecurity related...more
4/18/2024
/ Cyber Incident Reporting ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Collection ,
Enforcement ,
Governance Standards ,
Investment Adviser ,
New Rules ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Technology Sector
In its final Private Fund Adviser Rules adopted last year, the SEC dropped one of the more controversial proposed rules—the proposal to prohibit contractual exculpation or indemnification provisions that would shield or...more
4/16/2024
/ Anti-Fraud Provisions ,
Compliance ,
Enforcement ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Indemnification ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Negligence ,
Private Funds ,
Releases ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Adviser-led secondary transactions have seen explosive growth over the last five years. That growth has brought increased regulatory concerns over the conflicts of interests inherent in these transactions and a perceived...more
2023’s excitement for generative artificial intelligence (AI) prompted the SEC to respond on multiple fronts – stump speeches, rulemaking, new exam priorities and sweeps and previewing potential enforcement actions. SEC Chair...more
In a wave of SEC rulemaking this past year, representing a “new world order” event akin to Dodd-Frank, the SEC has provided itself with a fresh set of tools to increase regulatory and enforcement scrutiny on private funds....more
3/26/2024
/ Conflicts of Interest ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Cybersecurity ,
Enforcement ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
New Amendments ,
New Rules ,
Portfolio Companies ,
Private Equity ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
To understand the litigation and regulatory risks that are coming in 2024 for private capital, it is helpful to look back briefly on recent events. Arguably, the single most important event over the last 18 months was the...more
3/19/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Asset Management ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Dispute Resolution ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fund Managers ,
Hedge Funds ,
Interest Rates ,
Investment Management ,
Investors ,
Mergers ,
Private Equity ,
Private Funds ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Technology Sector
The SEC’s recent enforcement settlement involving a fund manager highlights the SEC’s focus on an investor’s “control purpose” triggering the requirement to file on a Schedule 13D as opposed to a short-form 13G. At issue was...more
3/8/2024
/ Enforcement ,
Fund Managers ,
Hedge Funds ,
Investors ,
Passive Investments ,
Private Equity Firms ,
Schedule 13D ,
Schedule 13G ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Settlement ,
Swap Agreements