On April 2, 2025, California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a Legal Advisory reminding businesses operating in California that foreign bribery remains illegal under California law and that violations of the US Foreign...more
Paul Atkins has taken the reins of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). After being confirmed by the Senate on April 9, Atkins officially began his tenure as SEC Chairman on April 21. His arrival is expected to...more
4/22/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Private Funds ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Technology Sector
The U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission ("SEC") recently announced settled charges against an investment adviser for misrepresentations regarding its anti-money laundering ("AML") procedures and compliance failures. As we...more
1/29/2025
/ AML/CFT ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Compliance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Crimes ,
FinCEN ,
Investment Adviser ,
Penalties ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
On November 22, 2024, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released its enforcement results for fiscal year ("FY") 2024 (October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024).1 While the next administration's approach to...more
Notwithstanding recent reports that the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has quietly disbanded its Climate and ESG Task Force,1 and while the SEC’s new climate-related disclosure rules remain stayed,2 the SEC’s...more
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the US Department of Justice (DOJ) recently announced parallel actions against an activist short seller and his firm, charging them with multiple counts of securities fraud....more
On August 14, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced yet another wave of enforcement actions related to widespread “off-channel communications,” charging an additional 26 firms with failing to maintain...more
8/29/2024
/ Electronic Communications ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Instant Messaging Apps ,
Investigations ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Mobile Devices ,
Popular ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ,
Securities Regulation ,
Self-Reporting ,
WhatsApp
On July 18, 2024, a New York federal judge dismissed most of the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s ("SEC") claims against SolarWinds Corp. ("SolarWinds" or the "Company") and its Chief Information Security Officer...more
In April, we issued an alert discussing the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and Department of Justice’s ("DOJ") expansion of insider trading to 10b5-1 plans. On June 21, 2024, a federal jury in California...more
7/3/2024
/ 10b5-1 Plans ,
Corporate Executives ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Insider Information ,
Insider Trading ,
Material Nonpublic Information ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud
On June 27, 2024, the Supreme Court ruled in SEC v. Jarkesy that when the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) seeks civil penalties from defendants for securities fraud, the Seventh Amendment requires it to bring the...more
7/2/2024
/ Administrative Authority ,
Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Administrative Proceedings ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Jury Trial ,
SCOTUS ,
SEC v Jarkesy ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Regulation ,
Separation of Powers ,
Seventh Amendment
In February 2024, we published an alert discussing the significant benefits of prompt self-reporting and cooperation during a US Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") investigation. This past week, during his keynote...more
In the past few months, we have published several alerts concerning the increase in regulatory attention to "AI washing," or making unfounded claims regarding artificial intelligence ("AI") capabilities.1 Senior officials at...more
In February 2024, we published an alert concerning the increase in regulatory attention to "AI washing," or making unfounded claims regarding artificial intelligence ("AI") capabilities. Notably, on February 14, 2024,...more
While there are news reports that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") is on the verge of issuing new climate related disclosure rules for public companies, the SEC's Director of the Division of Enforcement...more
In December 2023, we published an alert concerning US Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") Chair Gary Gensler's warning to public companies against "AI washing" – that is, making unfounded claims regarding artificial...more
On February 6, 2023, the US Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") announced that it settled accounting fraud charges against Cloopen Group Holding Limited ("Cloopen" or the "Company"), a cloud-based communications...more
On September 29, the US Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") brought its latest wave of enforcement actions related to "off-channel communications," charging 10 additional firms with failing to maintain employee...more
11/1/2023
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Compliance ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Mobile Devices ,
Record Retention ,
Regular Business Communications ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Securities Regulation ,
Self-Reporting
Many were anticipating an enforcement crackdown by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the first full fiscal year under chair Gary Gensler and enforcement director Gurbir Grewal, and those expectations were...more
The Annual Report season will soon be upon us, and it is important to assess a company's risk factors at the outset and whether recent developments, including those relating to macroeconomic, geopolitical, and public health...more
11/1/2022
/ Annual Reports ,
Capital Markets ,
Climate Change ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Cybersecurity ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Global Economy ,
Human Capital ,
Interest Rates ,
Investors ,
Market Conditions ,
Military Conflict ,
Price Inflation ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Risk Factors ,
Russia ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ,
Supply Chain ,
Ukraine ,
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)
In March 2021, White & Case published a client alert entitled "How SPACs Can Manage the Risks of White Collar Scrutiny." The article discussed the surge in interest and publicity surrounding "SPACs" (Special Purpose...more
Described as the "Wild West" by SEC Chairman Gary Gensler, the meteoric rise of digital assets like cryptocurrencies has disrupted the traditional financial ecosystem. The wave of enforcement actions brought by federal and...more
Dealmakers should be braced for a more aggressive stance under Chair Gary Gensler -
The appointment of Gary Gensler to Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) signaled a break from the Trump administration,...more
On January 14, 2022, in a closely watched decision, a federal judge in the Northern District of California denied a motion to dismiss a complaint brought by the US. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") that presented a...more
In her October 28, 2021 speech to the 36th ABA National Institute on White Collar Crime, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco emphasized that white collar crime is a top enforcement priority for the Department of Justice...more
In a landmark action, the US Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") filed a complaint alleging insider trading that expands the potential reach of insider trading law. On August 17, 2021, the SEC charged a former employee...more