Securities Enforcement & Litigation
Whether you are a public company, a fund, or an entity required to disclose financial information, Arnold & Porter's Securities Enforcement & Litigation attorneys have led marketing-leading corporations and the individuals at the helm in “bet-the-company” securities-related issues spanning litigation, enforcement, corporate governance, compliance counseling, and investigations. Drawing on a deep roster of alum from SEC, DOJ, and CFTC, our team is a one-stop shop for private companies and public issuers; financial institutions, including banks, accounting firms, insurers, broker-dealers, and investment advisors; life sciences and healthcare companies; start-ups and tech giants; and executives; boards of directors; and special committees. Together, we carry forward a tradition of excellence that dates to the founding of our practice by one of the authors of the seminal SEC antifraud provision, Rule 10b-5.
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Proactive Compliance Counseling: We provide public and private issuers, and boards of directors and board committees proactive compliance, risk management and due diligence advice, both before and after securities-related issues arise.
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Deftly Navigating Internal and Governmental Investigations: We are masters at navigating the most complex internal investigations to address a wide range of issues and mitigate the risks of enforcement action or litigation. Our attorneys also have extensive experience defending investigations conducted by the SEC, DOJ, state Attorneys General, PCAOB, and self-regulatory organizations, including FINRA.
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Defending Securities Litigation: Our practice has an established record of success defending shareholder derivative disputes, class actions, clearing and brokerage disputes, IPO litigation, private equity litigation, M&A and earnout litigation, insider trading disputes, insurance and bad faith cases, professional liability claims, as well as litigation brought by state Attorneys General.
—Chambers USA, Client
—Chambers USA, Client
Most Feared in Litigation (2024)
Experience Highlights
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Private companies and public issuers in navigating securities-related issues arising from the Trump administration’s Executive Orders.
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National accounting firm in investigations by the SEC and PCAOB involving auditor independence relating to the performance of non-audit services for audit clients and accounting firm entity theories of liability, and voluntary requests for information in SEC sweep of the accounting industry.
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Yelp and three of its senior officers in successful defense of a 10b-5 securities class action in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California that involved Yelp's revision of forward-looking guidance and related disclosures.
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Special board committee of a financial services public company both in conducting an internal investigation involving corporate governance, internal control and financial reporting issues, and in handling related SEC, DOJ, and other regulatory investigations and shareholder litigation.
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Independent directors of American Realty Capital-Retail Centers of America in successful defense of a securities class action in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland arising out of the merger of two REITs with combined assets of $3.5 billion.
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JPMorgan Chase in successful defense and appeal of Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower case.
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Dunkin' Brands in investigation, litigation, and favorable settlement of a New York Attorney General’s lawsuit alleging the failure to protect consumer data security and privacy.
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International consulting firm in an SEC investigation in which valuation and disclosure issues of a public issuer client are at issue.
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Software company in an SEC inquiry stemming from a cyberattack; following multiple attorney proffers, the SEC declined to pursue enforcement action.
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Special committee of the board of directors of a multinational publicly traded financial services company in an internal investigation involving whistleblower issues and breaches of duty relating to AML and fraud compliance. The investigation follows a series of settlements between the company and government regulators, including the state Attorney General, DOJ, and FTC.
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Coherus BioSciences in the strategic acquisition of Surface Oncology and in connection with threatened shareholder litigation concerning merger disclosures.
Focus Areas
Key Contacts
Related Services
Recognition
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U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers"Best Law Firms" for Securities Litigation – Washington, D.C., National (2024)
"Best Law Firms" for Securities Regulation – Washington, D.C., National (2024)
"Best Law Firms" for Litigation - Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy) – Washington, D.C., National (2024)
"Best Law Firms" for Derivatives and Futures Law – Washington, D.C., National (2024)
"Best Law Firms" for Bet-the-Company Litigation – San Francisco (2025) -
BTI Consulting GroupIntimidating Opponent in Litigation (2025)
Most Feared in Litigation (2024) -
Chambers USASecurities: Regulation: Enforcement – Nationwide (2024)
Corporate Crime & Investigations: The Elite – Nationwide (2024)
Financial Services Regulation: Banking (Enforcement & Investigations) – Nationwide (2024) -
Chambers GlobalCorporate Crime & Investigations – Latin America - International Counsel (2025)
Corporate Investigations/Anti-Corruption – Global-wide (Multijurisdictional) (2025)
Investigations & Enforcement (International & Cross-Border) – USA (2025) -
Benchmark LitigationWhite-Collar Crime (2024)
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Chambers Latin AmericaCorporate Crime & Investigations (2025)
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Chambers UKFinancial Crime: Corporates – London (2024)
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The Legal 500 UKCrime, Fraud and Licensing: Fraud: White-Collar Crime (Advice to Individuals) (2024)
Risk Advisory: Regulatory Investigations & Corporate Crime (Advice to Corporates) (2024) -
The Legal 500 USSecurities Litigation: Defense (2024)
Insurance: Advice to insurers (2024) -
The American LawyerLitigation Department of the Year – Honorable Mention
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Law360
