Expert Analysis

• SEC, FINRA Actions Signal Increased AML Enforcement

  

  The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s recent risk alerts and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s regulatory notices, as well as recent enforcement actions, show that broker-dealers and other financial institutions should be mindful that financial regulators beyond the traditional banking regulators are closely scrutinizing AML-related issues, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

• 2nd Circ. Goldman Ruling May Hinder Securities Classes

  

  The Second Circuit's recent Arkansas Teacher Retirement System v. Goldman Sachs decision, decertifying a class of investors and seemingly resolving a decadelong dispute, makes it substantially more difficult for plaintiffs to certify securities classes based on generic misstatements — a significant win for the defense bar, say attorneys at Willkie.

• Defense Practice Pointers In Venezuela Bribe Case Dismissal

  

  A Texas federal court’s recent dismissal of charges in U.S. v. Murta — one of over two dozen prosecutions targeting bribes paid to a Venezuelan state-owned oil company — highlights the complicated issues presented by cross-border investigations, and provides lessons for defense counsel representing foreign clients in U.S. prosecutions, say attorneys at Steptoe & Johnson.

• Perspectives

  More States Should Join Effort To Close Legal Services Gap

  

  Colorado is the most recent state to allow other types of legal providers, not just attorneys, to offer specific services in certain circumstances — and more states should rethink the century-old assumptions that shape our current regulatory rules, say Natalie Anne Knowlton and Janet Drobinske at the University of Denver.

• Identifying Trends And Tips In Litigation Financing Disclosure

  

  Growing interest and controversy in litigation financing raise several salient concerns, but exploring recent compelled disclosure trends from courts around the country can help practitioners further their clients' interests, say Sean Callagy and Samuel Sokolsky at Arnold & Porter.

• Divergent NY Rulings Compound Crypto Regulation Questions

  

  Though the crypto industry had a brief victory when a New York federal court held that the crypto-asset at issue was not a security, another ruling from the same courthouse just two weeks later showed that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's enforcement efforts are far from over, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

• Key Drivers Behind Widespread Adoption Of NAV Financing

  

  While net asset value-based lending has existed for years, NAV lending has only started to move into the mainstream recently — likely due to difficult market conditions faced by sponsors including persistent inflation, high interest rates and a lack of exit opportunities, say Matthew Kerfoot and Jinyoung Joo at Proskauer.

• Opinion

  Congress Must Pass CFTC Whistleblower Funding Law

  

  Legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate to revamp the Commodity Futures Trading Commission whistleblower program's funding structure requires urgent attention so that the program can continue to be a remarkable success story, says Stephen Kohn at Kohn Kohn.

• Lenders Should Study New York's Biz Loan Disclosure Rules

  

  Loan providers will need to dive deep into the detailed rules governing New York state’s new commercial financing disclosure requirements in order to successfully understand and comply with the recently implemented law, say Barry Hester and Gretchen von Dwingelo at BCLP.

• Series

  The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Elrod On 'Jury Duty'

  

  Though the mockumentary series “Jury Duty” features purposely outrageous characters, it offers a solemn lesson about the simple but brilliant design of the right to trial by jury, with an unwitting protagonist who even John Adams may have welcomed as an impartial foreperson, says Fifth Circuit Judge Jennifer Elrod.

• Keys To Robust AML Programs At Private Funds

  

  Attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler explain why hedge funds, private equity funds and venture capital funds should develop risk-based anti-money laundering compliance programs despite not being subject to the Bank Secrecy Act, and offer tips on setting up a program similar to those implemented by financial institutions.

• 4 Business-Building Strategies For Introvert Attorneys

  Excerpt from Practical Guidance

  

  Introverted lawyers can build client bases to rival their extroverted peers’ by adapting time-tested strategies for business development that can work for any personality — such as claiming a niche, networking for maximum impact, drawing on existing contacts and more, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

• Opinion

  3 Ways Justices' Disclosure Defenses Miss The Ethical Point

  

  The rule-bound interpretation of financial disclosures preferred by U.S. Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas — demonstrated in their respective statements defending their failure to disclose gifts from billionaires — show that they do not understand the ethical aspects of the public's concern, says Jim Moliterno at the Washington and Lee University School of Law.

• Rare Reg A+ Fines Reflect New Era Of SEC Enforcement

  

  The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent announcement of civil penalties against 10 microcap companies for violations of Regulation A+ shows that as the SEC continues to expand its enforcement efforts, its focus remains on protecting investors of all sizes — including those investing in the historically less-scrutinized Reg A+ issuers, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

• Current Private Credit Transaction Market Favors Lenders

  Excerpt from Practical Guidance

  

  As the market for private credit transactions grows, credit agreements will likely continue to tighten and become more lender-favorable, necessitating an understanding of how to negotiate around stricter terms, says M. Shams Billah at Barnes & Thornburg.