Butler Snow attorneys assist broker-dealers, investment advisers, and other financial services companies in navigating the complex legal and regulatory landscape affecting the industry today. Drawing upon our premier financial institutions and finance practices, with expertise in bank regulation, broker-dealer regulation, capital markets, and derivatives, our financial industry team advises clients seeking innovative solutions to complex issues that cross business, geographic, and regulatory lines. Our goal is to provide practical guidance to broker-dealers, registered investment companies, investment advisers, underwriters, and other service providers in a wide range of regulatory and disclosure matters, including the handling of investigations, enforcement actions, and litigation initiated by the SEC, FINRA, and state regulatory agencies.
We also counsel financial services companies with respect to day-to-day regulatory issues and regulatory matters arising in connection with mergers and acquisitions. Our regulatory experience includes matters involving net capital, licensure, U-4/U-5, Form B/D and ADV reporting issues, operational compliance, AML regulations, supervisory guidance, and a wide array of product questions. In addition, we regularly provide compliance and employment counseling, litigation support for non-compete and recruitment cases, and advise with respect to data breach prevention and response.
The firm additionally represents commercial banks, insurance companies, and other financial institutions with respect to their brokerage, advisory, and asset management activities. We advise our financial services clients on a broad range of issues, including trust, banking, securities and pension/benefit laws, regulatory compliance, independence, and fiduciary responsibility. Additionally, we regularly represent underwriters and banks in connection with the public offering or purchase of municipal securities. We have represented numerous broker-dealer clients in arbitration hearings and regulatory enforcement proceedings.
Whether you are starting a new venture in the financial services industry or are an established financial services company, Butler Snow attorneys will work with you and your teams to ensure that your operations are in compliance with applicable regulations across the nation.
Butler Snow attorneys assist financial services companies with:
- Initial and ongoing registration of broker-dealer and advisory firms and their representatives
- Joint venture arrangements and affiliation agreements
- Serving as underwriter’s and placement agent’s counsel
- Compliance policies and procedures
- Employment issues such as transfers to competing institutions in adversarial proceedings
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Class action litigation defense involving a range of claims, including suitability and other claims
- Compliance with securities and financial services regulations, including SEC, FINRA, and state regulatory regimes for broker-dealer and RIA registration and withdrawal of registration status
- Arbitration hearings, regulatory investigations, and enforcement proceedings
