White Collar

  • January 21, 2025

    Trump Pardons Silk Road's 'Dread Pirate' Ross Ulbricht

    President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he granted an unconditional pardon to Ross Ulbricht, the mastermind behind the cryptocurrency-fueled online drug bazaar Silk Road, in return for the political support he received from the crypto and libertarian realms.

  • January 21, 2025

    SEC Says 'Hotspot' Crypto Miners Broke Registration Laws

    Technology company Nova Labs Inc. faces U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission allegations that it attempted an "end-run" around federal securities laws with its unregistered sale of investment contracts in the form of its "hotspot" crypto asset mining devices.

  • January 21, 2025

    SEC Sues Ex-Investment Firm Reps, GC Over 'Sham' Energy Co.

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has accused former representatives of a wealth management firm of selling shares of a "sham" oil and gas company, and separately accused the firm's general counsel and chief compliance officer of playing an "active role" in the alleged misconduct by drawing up liability releases for the firm.

  • January 21, 2025

    SEC Says Engineering Prof To Pay $785K For Insider Trading

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday told a California federal court that an electrical engineering professor has agreed to pay about $785,000 to settle a lawsuit accusing him of improperly trading shares of a radio technology company at which he previously served as an advisory committee member.

  • January 21, 2025

    4th Circ. Won't Undo Doctor's Conviction For Reusing Devices

    A former North Carolina ear, nose and throat doctor staring down 25 years in prison for healthcare fraud lost an appeal Tuesday seeking to overturn her conviction, with the Fourth Circuit finding that the lower court did not commit any reversible error that would favor a shot at redemption.

  • January 21, 2025

    Block Hit With Shareholder Suit Over Cash App AML Protocols

    Jack Dorsey's fintech company Block Inc. touted its anti-money laundering protocols designed to prevent criminals from using Cash App and Square for illicit purposes, but in reality, the company's lack of even basic protocols created a "haven for criminal and illicit activities," a California federal lawsuit alleges.

  • January 21, 2025

    Calif. AG Warns 200 Landlords, Hotels About Price Gouging

    California Attorney General Rob Bonta has sent more than 200 warning letters to Southern California landlords and hotels accused of price gouging as fires ravaged communities in the Los Angeles area, according to an announcement made Friday.

  • January 21, 2025

    Colo. High Court Says Personal ID Theft Limited To People

    The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out a charge of identity theft against a man convicted of running a fraudulent nursing class, saying that while parts of the state's identity theft statute can apply to businesses, the portion concerning personal identifying information applies only to individuals.

  • January 21, 2025

    Trump Names Interim Top Prosecutors In Manhattan, Brooklyn

    President Donald Trump named two high-ranking prosecutors to be interim U.S. attorneys in the Southern and Eastern districts of New York while his long-term picks for the posts await Senate confirmation, spokespeople for the offices confirmed Tuesday.

  • January 21, 2025

    Biden Commutes Sentence For Native Activist Leonard Peltier

    In one of his final acts as president, Joe Biden commuted the life sentence of Native American activist Leonard Peltier after decades of calls from figures such as Pope Francis, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama and Coretta Scott King.

  • January 21, 2025

    Trump Installs New Prisons Chief, Revives Private Facilities

    President Donald Trump made sweeping changes to the criminal justice system in his first hours in office, including replacing the Federal Bureau of Prisons director brought in under the Biden administration and ending former President Joe Biden's plan to phase out privately run federal prisons.

  • January 21, 2025

    Crypto Firm To Plead Guilty In Market Manipulation Case

    A financial services firm based in the United Arab Emirates has agreed to plead guilty to a fraudulent "wash trading" scheme and will stop working in the U.S. cryptocurrency industry as part of a deal announced Tuesday by Boston federal prosecutors.

  • January 21, 2025

    Ex-Cannabis Exec Hit With Insider Trading Charges

    A former executive of cannabis giant Verano Holdings and friends from his country club have been hit with both criminal charges and a civil lawsuit for insider trading, with the government alleging they bought stock in a rival cannabis company Verano had planned to acquire based on nonpublic information.

  • January 21, 2025

    Trump Taps Pot Legalization Opponent As Acting DEA Head

    A stalled effort to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana will be overseen, at least temporarily, by a former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent who has previously spoken out against marijuana reform and specifically criticized the former administration's bid to recategorize the drug.

  • January 21, 2025

    4 Of 8 From Alleged Bronx Beer Heist Squad In Plea Talks

    The leader of an eight-man crew accused of carrying out a brazen scheme to steal Mexican beer from trains and resell it in the Bronx is in plea talks along with three co-defendants, a New York federal judge heard Tuesday.

  • January 21, 2025

    SDNY Prosecutor Returns To Debevoise In San Francisco

    Debevoise & Plimpton LLP announced the return of one of its litigators Tuesday after eight and a half years with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, most recently as deputy chief of the Criminal Division.

  • January 21, 2025

    Bondi Pledges To Consult DOJ Ethics Team On Trump Matters

    Following last week's hearing for President Donald Trump's attorney general nominee, Democrats further questioned Pam Bondi on how she would maintain independence from Trump due to her past relationships with him.

  • January 21, 2025

    Trump 2020 Electors, Criminally Charged, Can't Stop Civil Suit

    A state appellate panel said a civil lawsuit could proceed against Michigan Republicans who allegedly participated in a "false elector" plot in 2020, finding a judge did not abuse her discretion by refusing to stay the case for related criminal proceedings.

  • January 21, 2025

    Victors In Landmark Graft Case Want 2nd Top Court Review

    The defendants who won a landmark 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that narrowed certain types of corruption prosecutions have asked the justices to intervene in their case again, claiming the Second Circuit had wrongly allowed the government to pursue new trials based on a different theory of fraud.

  • January 21, 2025

    BakerHostetler Adds Ex-ATF Director For 3rd Stint With Firm

    BakerHostetler is bringing back the recently departed head of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as a partner in its litigation practice group in Cleveland and Washington, D.C., the firm announced Tuesday.

  • January 21, 2025

    Troutman Adds Former Ga. Middle District US Atty In Atlanta

    Troutman Pepper Locke LLP has expanded its white collar litigation and investigations practice in Atlanta with the addition of the former U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, making him the second former U.S. attorney for the district to join the firm since 2021.

  • January 21, 2025

    Weil Adds SEC's Asset Management Co-Chief To NY Group

    A more-than 12-year veteran of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, who most recently co-led the agency's Asset Management Unit, is joining Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP as the firm continues adding former regulators to begin the new year.

  • January 21, 2025

    Ga. US Atty's Offices Tap Acting Chiefs

    With the resignations this month of the top United States attorneys in Georgia, the Justice Department has announced their top deputies will step up to lead the offices of the Peach State's three judicial districts.

  • January 21, 2025

    Former DOJ Antitrust Leader Joins Cravath From Paul Weiss

    The former co-chair of Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP's antitrust practice group, who previously served as the ranking deputy at the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division, has joined Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP as a New York-based litigation partner. 

  • January 21, 2025

    Trump Eyes Mass. Federal Prosecutor For US Atty In Boston

    President Donald Trump plans to nominate Leah Foley to be Massachusetts' next U.S. attorney, elevating a longtime prosecutor in the office to the top spot after she had sought the job during Trump's first administration, Law360 has learned.

Expert Analysis

  • Applying High Court's Domestic Corruption Rulings To FCPA

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court narrowed the domestic corruption statutes in three decisions over the past year and a half, it’s worth evaluating whether these rulings may have an impact on Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement, and if attorneys can use the court’s reasoning in international bribery cases, says James Koukios at MoFo.

  • Primer On Chinese Trade Secret Disputes For US Practitioners

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    Increasing cross-border disputes over trade secret misappropriation between U.S. and Chinese entities emphasize the need for U.S. practitioners to navigate China's legal landscape following recent reforms that enhance the viability of litigation in Chinese courts, say attorneys at Jones Day.

  • Mental Health First Aid: A Brief Primer For Attorneys

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    Amid a growing body of research finding that attorneys face higher rates of mental illness than the general population, firms should consider setting up mental health first aid training programs to help lawyers assess mental health challenges in their colleagues and intervene with compassion, say psychologists Shawn Healy and Tracey Meyers.

  • John Deere Penalty Shows Importance Of M&A Due Diligence

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent $10 million penalty against John Deere underscores the risks of not conducting robust preacquisition due diligence and not effectively integrating a new subsidiary into the existing compliance framework, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Revisiting The Crime-Fraud Exception After Key Trump Cases

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    Evidence issues in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and classified documents cases involving former President Donald Trump offer an opportunity to restudy elements and implications of the crime-fraud exception to attorney-client privilege and the work product doctrine, noting the courts' careful scrutiny of these matters, say Robert Hoff and Paul Tuchmann at Wiggin and Dana.

  • Series

    NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3

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    In a relatively light few months for banking legal updates in New York, the state Department of Financial Services previewed its views on banking sector artificial intelligence use via insurer guidance, and an anti-money laundering enforcement action underscored the importance of international monitoring processes, say Eric McLaughlin and Dana Bayersdorfer at Davis Polk.

  • Series

    Collecting Art Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The therapeutic aspects of appreciating and collecting art improve my legal practice by enhancing my observation skills, empathy, creativity and cultural awareness, says attorney Michael McCready.

  • Aviation Watch: Boeing Plea Agreement May Not Serve Public

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    The proposed plea agreement between the U.S. Department of Justice and Boeing — the latest outgrowth of the company's 737 Max travails — is opposed by crash victims' families, faces an uncertain fate in court, and may ultimately serve no beneficial purpose, even if approved, says Alan Hoffman, a retired attorney and aviation expert.

  • Using Primacy And Recency Effects In Opening Statements

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    By understanding and strategically employing the primacy and recency effects in opening statements, attorneys can significantly enhance their persuasive impact, ensuring that their narrative is both compelling and memorable from the outset, says Bill Kanasky at Courtroom Sciences.

  • Takeaways From TOTSA Settlement And Critical CFTC Dissent

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    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's recent settlement with TOTSA highlights the agency's commitment to enforcing market integrity and deterring manipulative practices, while Commissioner Caroline Pham's dissent to the settlement spotlights the need for transparency and consistency in enforcement actions, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Honoring Your Learned Profession

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    About 30,000 people who took the bar exam in July will learn they passed this fall, marking a fitting time for all attorneys to remember that they are members in a specialty club of learned professionals — and the more they can keep this in mind, the more benefits they will see, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Opinion

    AI May Limit Key Learning Opportunities For Young Attorneys

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    The thing that’s so powerful about artificial intelligence is also what’s most scary about it — its ability to detect patterns may curtail young attorneys’ chance to practice the lower-level work of managing cases, preventing them from ever honing the pattern recognition skills that undergird creative lawyering, says Sarah Murray at Trialcraft.

  • Key Takeaways From DOJ's New Corp. Compliance Guidance

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s updated guidance to federal prosecutors on evaluating corporate compliance programs addresses how entities manage new technology-related risks and expands on preexisting policies, providing key insights for companies about increasing regulatory expectations, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • The Key Changes In Revised FDIC Hiring Regulations

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    Attorneys at Ogletree break down the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s new rule, effective Oct. 1, that will ease restrictions on financial institutions hiring employees with criminal histories, amend the FDIC's treatment of minor offenses and clarify its stance on expunged or dismissed criminal records.

  • 6 Tips For Trying Cases Away From Home

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    A truly national litigation practice, by definition, often requires trying cases in jurisdictions across the country, which presents unique challenges that require methodical preparation and coordination both within the trial team and externally, say Edward Bennett and Suzanne Salgado at Williams & Connolly.

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