Morrison & Foerster’s Securities Litigation, Enforcement, and White-Collar Criminal Defense Practice Group is a recognized leader. Whether it’s a bet-the-company securities class action trial, an SEC inquiry involving insider trading, or a federal criminal investigation alleging FCPA violations, we have the expertise and resources to protect our clients and are recognized for our aggressive and smart approach.
We draw on the collective experience and geographic breadth of our group to achieve the most favorable outcome for each client.
We practice in these primary areas:
Securities Litigation
We have defended hundreds of companies and their officers and directors in securities class actions throughout the U.S. We win through dismissals, summary judgments, and jury trials. We also have defended companies and their officers and directors in federal and state derivative actions, in corporate governance cases brought in Delaware Chancery Court, in litigation arising from mergers and acquisitions, and in other types of private securities cases and arbitrations.
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Securities Enforcement
Companies and individuals turn to us to defend them in investigations and enforcement proceedings brought by the SEC and State Attorneys General. We regularly appear in state and federal court, in SEC administrative proceedings, and in regulatory hearings before FINRA (formerly NASD and NYSE). Several lawyers in our group also have served as court-appointed receivers, Special Counsels, Independent Consultants, or Special Escrow Agents in a number of SEC enforcement actions.
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Internal Investigations
We assist audit committees and special litigation committees, both in the U.S. and abroad, in investigating a wide variety of alleged wrongdoing, including financial statement fraud, stock option grant irregularities, money laundering, foreign corrupt practices, and insider trading. Our lawyers also help companies stay out of trouble by advising clients on issues such as litigation avoidance, disclosure policies, insider trading programs, whistleblower protections, and liability insurance.
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White-Collar Criminal Defense
We represent corporate and individual clients in all stages of federal and state criminal proceedings, and in related regulatory investigations, including grand jury, SEC, congressional, and state legislative committees, criminal trials, and appeals, as well as before foreign enforcement and investigatory agencies.
Our experience runs the full gamut of business-related criminal matters: antitrust, banking, bribery, campaign finance, customs, economic espionage, energy, false claims act, false statements to the government, FCPA, healthcare, mail and wire fraud, money laundering, RICO, securities, tax, and trade secrets. While we have served as counsel on many of the major public criminal matters of the last decade, we have also resolved numerous complex cases through out-of-court advocacy and negotiation with authorities.
Read more about our White-Collar Criminal Defense experience.