News & Events

Douglas Woodcock is Bates Group's newest Affiliate Expert and Consultant, who brings 36 years of experience in asset management, capital markets, investment banking and broker-dealer senior management to provide expert consulting and testimony on complex securities litigation and arbitration issues.

During the January 26th 2017 SIFMA-Bates Group Leaders and Experts Forum: Managing Regulatory Investigations and Enforcement Matters in the Big Data-Driven Age, former Chief of the SEC Complex Financial Instruments Unit, and current partner in Simpson Thacher’s Government Investigations Group, Michael J. Osnato, Jr. discussed how big data is changing the way the SEC investigates and prosecutes misconduct. Mr. Osnato shared insights gleaned from his then-recently completed tenure at the agency, a period he termed the “golden age of enforcement.” 

The President of the North American Securities Administrators Association (“NASAA”) is supporting the besieged fiduciary duty rule and has advocated for the independence of state securities regulators. In NASAA’s official recommendations to the 115th Congress of the United States, President Mike Rothman urged “Congress and the Administration to promote financial regulatory policies that hold true to our shared responsibility to look out for investors and preserve the integrity of our capital markets.”

On February 8, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) released a new report on the status of recommendations made by the FINRA Dispute Resolution Task Force. The 13-member Task Force was formed in July 2014 to “improve the transparency, impartiality and efficiency of FINRA's securities arbitration and mediation forum.”

The changing of the guard in Washington has not slowed down cyber security regulators at the national or state level. Over the last several weeks, longstanding efforts have continued apace. The New York State Department of Financial Services published final cyber security regulations mandating standards for banks and insurers. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology proposed updates to its 2014 Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity, and the White House itself prepared – and then postponed temporarily – a proposed new Executive Order. 

We are pleased to announce that Bates Group Expert Professor Ronald Filler will be the Moderator of the ABA Section on International Law's Spring 2017 Program, “Financial Crisis Reform or a Financial Crisis Missed Opportunity?” in Washington, D.C., April 25-28, 2017.

Bates Group Director of Fraud and Forensic Investigations Geoff Winkler discusses the "War on Talent" which was a recurring topic at SIFMA's 2017 AML and Financial Crimes conference in New York.

Bates Expert Miriam Lefkowitz will be a featured speaker at the New York Country Lawyers’ Association’s CLE on “Ethical, Legal and Regulatory Considerations When Practicing Before the SEC and CFTC" on February 15, 2017, 9am to noon. Sponsored by NYCLA’s Securities and Exchange Committee and Futures and Derivatives Committee

Photos from the SIFMA/Bates Group Leaders and Experts Forum in New York City : “Successfully Managing Regulatory Investigations and Enforcement Matters in the New Regulatory Landscape and Big Data Age.” 

The Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations' (“OCIE”) National Examination Program issued a Risk Alert of the “Five Most Frequent Compliance Topics Identified in OCIE Examinations of Investment Advisers.”

In one of his first acts in office, Donald J. Trump issued a Presidential Memorandum on the DOL Fiduciary Duty Rule. The President directed the Department of Labor to examine the Rule to determine whether it may “adversely affect the ability of Americans to gain access to retirement information and financial advice.” 

Over 100 people attended our SIFMA/Bates Group Leaders and Experts Forum in New York City last Thursday: “Successfully Managing Regulatory Investigations and Enforcement Matters in the New Regulatory Landscape and Big Data Age.” InvestmentNews caught up with Bates Director of Institutional & Complex Litigation Alex Russell concerning the growing use of big data and data analytics to drive regulatory enforcement, a topic of great interest at the Forum.

For many investors, 2016 was a roller coaster ride in the equity markets. The year started off on a surprisingly low note, with the broader market experiencing the worst opening week in history. The S&P 500 Index fell 6% in the first five days of trading, and by mid-February, the equity index had fallen 15%. However, the S&P 500 Index did manage to finish the year up 10%, despite the uncertainty created by ...

Join leading in-house and outside counsel, regulators and experts on Thursday, January 26th in NYC for the 2017 SIFMA/Bates Group Leaders & Experts CLE Forum: "Successfully Managing Regulatory Investigations and Enforcement Matters in the Big Data Age." Registration is now open.

The SEC has released its examination priorities for 2017, which contain a continuation of many priorities from last year, as well as some new areas of focus.  Just as we did last week when we covered FINRA’s 2017 priorities, this week we will concentrate largely on new SEC initiatives, with some attention to those initiatives which are continuations of earlier priorities.

The SEC has announced their examination priorities for 2017.