Morrison Foerster is an international law firm with lawyers practicing throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe. Click to discover more.

mofo_share_image.jpg

Morrison Foerster

common-default.jpeg

Terms / Notices

Cookies

Privacy Policy

Reporting Hotline

Attorney Advertising

Alumni

  Linkedin

MoFo LinkedIN

  Facebook

MoFo Facebook

YouTube

MoFo Youtube

Morrison Foerster - Footer

Securities and Derivatives Regulatory Solutions Seminar

You have not solved the recaptcha challenge yet or session expired, try again.

Email Disclaimer

Disclaimer

<p>Unsolicited e-mails and information sent to Morrison Foerster will not be considered confidential, may be disclosed to others pursuant to our <a href="https://www.mofo.com/about/privacy-policy.html"><u><em>Privacy Policy</em></u></a>, may not receive a response, and do not create an attorney-client relationship with Morrison Foerster. If you are not already a client of Morrison Foerster, do not include any confidential information in this message. Also, please note that our attorneys do not seek to practice law in any jurisdiction in which they are not properly authorized to do so.</p>

Feedback

mofo-logo-2022.svg

People

Capabilities

Resources

About

Community

Offices

Careers

Stay Connected

Please save the date for the 2nd Annual Securities + Derivatives Regulatory Solutions Seminar, presented by MoFo and PwC.Join us...

<h3>Sorry, we weren’t able to find the terms you entered.</h3><p>Please try a different term or keyword.</p>

<p>People</p>

<p>Capabilities</p>

<p>Resources</p>

Not Found Cards

<p>Please save the date for the 2nd Annual Securities + Derivatives Regulatory Solutions Seminar, presented by MoFo and PwC.</p><p>Join us for an afternoon of timely insights and networking for financial services intermediaries, issuers, investment managers, exchanges, and Fintech innovators navigating today’s evolving securities, commodities, digital assets, and derivatives landscape. Building on last year’s program, this year’s seminar will feature practical discussions on emerging regulatory priorities, market developments, and industry trends impacting financial market participants.</p><h5>Topics Include:</h5><ul><li>The Future of Financial Markets: Digital Assets, Prediction Markets, and Trading Innovation</li><li>Regulatory Priorities and Policy Developments Affecting Advisers, Funds, Broker-dealers, and Other Market Participants</li><li>Retail Alternatives: Expanding Access to Private Markets</li></ul><h5>Speakers:</h5><ul><li>Sulman Bhatti, Senior Counsel, Hivemind Capital Partners</li><li>Marion Chan, Managing Director, Asset and Wealth Management, PwC</li><li>Pete Driscoll, Partner, National Quality Organization, PwC</li><li>Joseph Spiro, Digital Assets Product Director, The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC)</li><li>Maurya Keating, Associate Director, Division of Examinations/NYRO, SEC</li><li>Hector Velez: General Counsel, Elllipsis Research</li><li>Rhys Bortignon: Co-chair, Securities and Derivatives Regulatory Solutions, MoFo</li><li>Val Dahiya: Co-chair, Securities and Derivatives Regulatory Solutions, MoFo</li><li>Kelley Howes: Co-chair, Securities and Derivatives Regulatory Solutions, MoFo</li><li>Trevor Levine: Partner, Fintech, MoFo</li><li>Ryne Miller: Partner, Fintech, MoFo</li></ul><hr>

<p>Securities and Derivatives Regulatory Solutions Seminar</p>

Sign Up

<p>Rhys Bortignon is a partner in Morrison Foerster’s Capital Markets practice, based in New York. Rhys’ practice focuses on derivatives and structured products. He is a member of the firm’s Derivatives, Commodities + Structured Products practice group and Co-Head of its Securities + Derivatives Regulatory Solutions team.</p><p>With a focus on practical and commercial solutions, Rhys provides counsel to a diverse range of U.S. and international clients, from both the buy side and sell side, including corporates, investment banks, commercial banks, private equity, funds, investment managers, and sovereigns. Rhys offers strategic guidance to his clients from both a transactional and a regulatory perspective and navigates complex cross-border issues with proficiency, providing pragmatic advice to clients operating globally.</p><p>Rhys’ experience spans the spectrum of derivative transactions across asset classes, including rates, foreign exchange, credit, equity, digital assets, and commodities. He also frequently advises on margin loans, repo and securities lending transactions, the hedging components of project and corporate financings, as well as various structured products. </p><p>Rhys is well-versed in U.S. derivatives legal and regulatory matters under the Dodd-Frank Act, the Commodity Exchange Act, and the Securities Exchange Act as well as related CFTC, SEC, and prudential regulation, including the regulation of security-based swaps, swaps, futures and options as well as security-based swap dealers, futures commission merchants, introducing brokers, swap dealers, commodity pool operators, commodity trading advisors, and exchanges and clearing organizations. </p><p>Rhys advises on leading-edge issues in the derivatives space, such as AI, digital assets, distributed ledger technologies (including DeFi), energy transition matters, and sustainability-linked transactions. He frequently authors thought leadership pieces on current and proposed derivatives regulations in the United States.</p><p>Rhys sits on the Board of Directors of the LGBT Bar Association of New York, a voluntary professional organization dedicated to ensuring full equality for members of the LGBTQ+ community, promoting the advancement of LGBTQ+ legal professionals, and serving the larger community through various pro bono initiatives.</p><p>Prior to joining the firm, Rhys was counsel at another international law firm in New York. He also gained experience as an associate at leading law firms in London and Sydney. </p><p>Rhys is admitted to practice law in New York, England & Wales, and New South Wales, Australia.</p><h4>Representative Experience</h4><h5>Securitizations</h5><ul><li>Advised a global vehicle rental and leasing company with respect to its derivatives transactional and regulatory matters, including in connection with its international securitization platform and related financing activities</li></ul><h5>Equity Derivatives</h5><ul><li>Represented a leading geothermal company engaged in recovered energy generation in connection with its Rule 144A private offering of green convertible senior notes and the negotiation and execution of the associated capped call transactions with various dealer counterparties</li><li>Represented a data security and analytics pioneer in connection with its private Rule 144A offering of convertible senior notes, and the negotiation and execution of the associated capped call transactions with various dealer counterparties</li><li>Represented the initial purchasers and the capped call transaction counterparties in a digital sports betting and gaming platform’s offering of convertible senior notes, including the negotiation and execution of the associated capped call transactions</li><li>Represented a major South American mobile telecoms operator on its derivatives trading documentation in connection with its high-yield bond tap issuance</li><li>Represented the sole bookrunner in connection with the offering of a leading player in the global snack arena’s guaranteed zero-coupon exchangeable bonds and associated derivatives elements</li></ul><h5>Lending + Finance</h5><ul><li>Represented an international specialty finance company in connection with its global funding structure, which included: a notes offering; a consent solicitation of the holders of multiple preexisting issuances of notes; an amended multi-currency revolving credit facility; and the amendment and restatement of the company’s private placement notes purchase agreement</li><li>Represented a portfolio company of a Canadian asset management firm in connection with its entrance into a warehouse facility intended to finance a portfolio of consumer home rental contracts</li></ul><h5>Business Restructuring + Insolvency</h5><ul><li>Represented an operator of power infrastructure in the United States and its applicable debtor subsidiaries in connection with the consummation of the strategic transactions contemplated by the company’s chapter 11 plan of reorganization and provided assistance with the completion of its restructuring. The plan of reorganization entailed, among other components: the infusion of new equity capital pursuant to a common equity rights offering; a revolving credit facility; a Term Loan B credit facility; a Term Loan C credit facility; and a bilateral line of credit, as well as full repayment of the company's formerly existing first-lien funded debt and the consensual equitization of all of the company’s formerly existing unsecured notes. Representation included the drafting and negotiation of the foregoing debt financing transactions (including implementing intercreditor and first-lien security arrangements for derivative counterparties) and the renegotiation and implementation of commodity derivative documentation with several counterparties.</li></ul><h5>Project Finance</h5><p>Advised on the derivatives transactional and regulatory aspects of several high-profile project financing matters, including drafting and negotiation derivatives documentation, structuring hedging trades, and advising on intercreditor and other related matters:</p><ul><li>Represented a group of 13 commercial banks in connection with a non-recourse senior secured financing of the redevelopment of multiple terminals of a major global airport in the United States</li><li>Represented a group of international commercial banks in connection with a non-recourse financing of a wind project in Brazil</li><li>Represented a group of international banks as lenders and issuing banks in connection with the non-recourse first- and second-lien project financings of a wind farm and a solar power plant in Chile</li><li>Represented a leading private equity firm specializing in the energy industry in connection with a senior secured facility to finance the development, operation and maintenance of certain assets in the United States</li></ul><h5>M&A</h5><ul><li>Represented a leading private equity firm specializing in the energy industry in its sale of one of the premier independent utility-scale energy storage and renewable energy platforms in the United States to a French multinational utility company</li></ul>

Rhys Bortignon

Co-Head of Securities + Derivatives Regulatory Solutions

<p>Val Dahiya is a partner in the firm’s Broker-Dealer Compliance + Regulation and Capital Markets practice groups, Co-Head of its Securities + Derivatives Regulatory Solutions team, and Co-Lead of the firm’s Digital Assets practice within the Fintech Group.</p><p>Val advises financial services clients on complex compliance, regulatory, and transactional matters arising under U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Financial Institution Regulatory (FINRA) jurisdiction. She has nearly two decades of experience in advising on securities market infrastructure, including over 10 years of work history at the SEC and three years at FINRA.</p><h4 dir="ltr">Professional Experience: SEC and FINRA </h4><p>Prior to joining Morrison Foerster, Val chaired the securities trading and markets practice and served as office managing partner at another international law firm. Before that, she served as the Washington, D.C. Branch Chief in the Office of Trading Practices in the Division of Trading and Markets at the SEC, where she provided analysis and recommendations on complex legal and policy issues related to the securities industry, including the application of Exchange Act rules and regulations to emerging areas such as cryptocurrencies and digital assets. Val’s counsel was essential in shaping SEC policies and ensuring their consistent application across the evolving financial landscape. </p><p>Prior to this, Val’s responsibilities as Special Counsel in the Division of Trading and Markets included providing essential guidance on securities regulation compliance, including the Commission’s financial integrity and regulatory programs for broker-dealers and securities exchanges. Val also worked closely with the Divisions Office of Market Supervision reviewing self-regulatory organization (SRO) rule filings.   </p><p>In her capacity as Attorney/Senior Counsel in the Division of Examinations, Broker-Dealer Group, Val led comprehensive examinations and inspections of broker-dealers and dually registered entities, ensuring compliance with federal securities laws and SRO rules. Her responsibilities also extended to preparing enforcement referral memoranda and assisting the Enforcement Division in complex trading cases. </p><p>While at the SEC, Val also worked extensively on issues related to trading practices, including market making, ETFs, direct market or sponsored access, when-issued securities, and trading in the grey markets.</p><p>Prior to her tenure at the SEC, Val worked at FINRA (formerly NASD), where she conducted reviews and investigations of broker-dealer activities, identified violations of relevant regulations, and made disciplinary recommendations. Her work at FINRA involved analyzing trading activity for irregularities and patterns indicating violative conduct.</p><p>Collectively, this experience informs Val’s counsel on the highly complex regulatory issues associated with broker-dealer, transfer agent, clearing agency, exchange and Alternative Trading System (ATS) operations, registration requirements, and compliance.</p><h4 dir="ltr">Capabilities</h4><p>Val also advises clients in the distributed ledger technology space that are seeking to understand the potential securities regulatory implications. Her practice ranges from product counseling all the way through to counseling on complex compliance and regulatory issues.</p><p>Other areas Val is particularly well qualified to advise on include:</p><ul dir="ltr"><li dir="ltr">broker-dealer compliance issues relating to Regulations ATS, NMS, M, SCI, and SHO, as well Rules 15c2-11, 15c3-5, and 15c3-3;</li><li dir="ltr">Regulation BI and standard of care issues;</li><li dir="ltr">books-and-records requirements;</li><li dir="ltr">large trader and position reporting;</li><li dir="ltr">forex trading;</li><li dir="ltr">market access and other electronic trading issues;</li><li dir="ltr">information barriers and insider trading;</li><li dir="ltr">soft dollars and commission sharing arrangements;</li><li dir="ltr">the net capital and customer protection rules; and</li><li dir="ltr">cybersecurity and data protection issues.</li></ul><h4 dir="ltr">Leadership</h4><p>Val is a member of the Nasdaq Exchange Review Council for each of Nasdaq’s six exchanges. Prior to joining Morrison Foerster, Val served as office managing partner at another international law firm.  </p>

Val Dahiya

<p>Kelley Howes is chair of the Investment Management Group, co-head of the Securities + Derivatives Regulatory Solutions team, and managing partner of the firm’s Denver office.</p><p>Kelley has over 30 years’ experience advising U.S. registered investment companies (including mutual funds, exchange traded funds, and interval funds), business development companies, registered investment advisers, and exempt reporting advisers on a wide range of legal, regulatory, and compliance matters. She also counsels clients regarding investment company status matters under the Investment Company Act.</p><p>Recognized as a go-to counsel for independent fund trustees, Kelley frequently advises registered funds and their trustees on corporate governance, compliance, and regulatory matters, mergers and reorganizations, and regulatory examination and enforcement matters.</p><p>Kelley is consistently recognized as a top advisor in <em>Chambers USA</em> and <em>Chambers Global</em>, receiving multiple distinctions for Registered Funds. She has also been recognized in the Finance: Fintech category of <em>The Legal 500 US</em> awards.</p><p>Prior to joining Morrison Foerster, she served as executive vice president and general counsel of Janus Capital Group Inc., a NYSE-listed global asset management holding company. She also previously served as senior vice president and general counsel of Janus Capital Management LLC, a U.S. registered investment advisory subsidiary of Janus Capital Group, and as president of the Janus funds and president of Janus Distributors LLC.</p><p>Kelley previously served as a director of Young Americans Bank/Young Americans Center for Financial Education, ICI Mutual Insurance Company, and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.</p>

Kelley Howes

Chair of Investment Management Group

<p>Trevor Levine is a partner in the firm’s Financial Services Group, where he advises financial services firms and digital asset companies on turning regulatory complexity into commercial opportunity. He advises clients operating at the intersection of finance and technology, guiding them through rapidly evolving legal frameworks while supporting growth, innovation, and market expansion.<br></p><p>Trevor advises exchanges, intermediaries, market participants, and technology companies on issues arising under the Commodity Exchange Act, including representing clients seeking to register with the CFTC and NFA. He also helps clients navigate federal securities laws, FINRA rules, and state money transmission laws. Clients trust Trevor to guide them through regulatory inquiries while helping them design, launch, and operationalize compliant financial products and structures, including advising on applicable registration and licensing processes.<br></p><p>Before joining Morrison Foerster, Trevor served as general counsel to a brokerage firm focused on the digital asset, Bitcoin mining, and data center sectors. In that role, he oversaw legal and regulatory matters across multiple regulated subsidiaries, including a FINRA-registered broker-dealer, an NFA-registered introducing broker, and a New York BitLicensee. He also previously worked in-house at a large, regulated digital asset trading platform, where he advised on the acquisition and maintenance of CFTC, SEC, and state licenses.<br></p><p>Earlier in his career, Trevor practiced at two Am Law 100 firms, advising clients on a range of regulatory matters, including CFTC inquiries related to reporting obligations and market activity, as well as state and federal regulatory issues involving consumer lending practices. He has also advised companies on the development and launch of blockchain networks, cryptocurrencies, and decentralized applications.</p>

Trevor Levine

Partner

<p>Ryne Miller is a partner in the firm’s Financial Services Group, advising global trading and markets businesses, financial institutions, and fintech companies on complex regulatory, governance, investigative, and transactional matters. He is widely sought for his experience across traditional and emerging markets, including commodities, derivatives, securities, digital assets, and prediction markets. Ryne delivers clear, commercially focused guidance to help clients achieve strategic objectives and is valued for his longstanding relationships with market participants and regulators across the trading and markets industry.<br></p><p>Clients rely on Ryne’s deep experience with the regulatory and enforcement programs of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Securities and Exchange Commission, FINRA, National Futures Association, FinCEN, Department of Justice, and other federal and state regulators. Executives consistently seek his judgment on high-stakes matters involving investigations, governance, strategic relationships and negotiations, and crisis and incident response.<br></p><p>Ryne is a frequent speaker at trading and markets industry events, a guest lecturer at leading U.S. law and business schools, and has testified before Congress on digital asset market structure regulation. He has also participated in a CFTC roundtable on the evolution of U.S. derivatives market structure.<br></p><p>Before joining Morrison Foerster, Ryne served as chair of the Commodities, Futures & Derivatives Group and co-chair of the Fintech, Crypto, Trading & Markets Group at another leading law firm. Earlier in his career, he was a New York-based partner and co-head of the Commodities and Derivatives practice at an Am Law 10 firm, served as legal counsel to a former chairman of the CFTC, and was general counsel to a U.S. financial services and digital assets business.</p>

Securities and Derivatives Regulatory Solutions Seminar

01 Oct 2026 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM EDT

Topics Include:

Speakers: