Securities Law

AI startup founder pleads guilty to receiving insider tips from BigLaw lawyers

The head of an artificial intelligence startup admitted his role last year in a scheme involving BigLaw attorneys informing traders about upcoming mergers that their employers were advising on.

Jul 8, 2026 11:13 AM CDT

Supreme Court rejects bid to review SEC’s rescinded ‘gag rule’

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to review the constitutionality of a now-rescinded Securities and Exchange Commission policy that forced people and companies settling enforcement cases to never publicly criticize or contest the Wall Street watchdog’s claims.

Jun 29, 2026 11:27 AM CDT

Former Willkie Farr & Gallagher counsel pleads guilty, agrees to cooperate in M&A insider trading case

A former Willkie Farr & Gallagher attorney has pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with the government in a multimillion-dollar mergers-and-acquisitions insider trading case.

May 8, 2026 11:01 AM CDT

Lawyers should alert clients that AI prompts can be used in court

People who solicit advice from artificial intelligence are being cautioned by U.S. lawyers to not confide in chatbots because those conversations can be used against them in court.

Apr 15, 2026 12:48 PM CDT

Elon Musk defrauded Twitter investors in $44B buyout, jury finds

Technology billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk committed securities fraud with false or misleading statements about Twitter’s fake bot accounts as he attempted to scrap or renegotiate the $44 billion deal to buy the social media platform, a California jury for a civil trial unanimously found Friday.

Mar 23, 2026 9:35 AM CDT

Federal judge withdraws opinion after lawyer points out fake quotes, misstated case outcomes

U.S. District Judge Julien Xavier Neals of the District of New Jersey has withdrawn an opinion after a letter by a BigLaw lawyer pointed out several errors in the decision, including misstated case outcomes and fake quotes attributed to opinions and to the defendants.

Jul 24, 2025 10:39 AM CDT

SCOTUS allows shareholder lawsuit against Facebook to go forward

The Supreme Court dismissed an appeal Friday by Meta’s Facebook, allowing a lawsuit to go forward that was brought by investors who claim they were misled by the social media giant about risks from a massive data breach.

Nov 22, 2024 12:28 PM CST

Supreme Court appears split in Facebook lawsuit tied to data breach

The Supreme Court on Wednesday appeared closely divided over whether to allow shareholders to proceed with a lawsuit accusing Meta’s Facebook of misleading investors about risks from a massive data privacy breach.

Nov 7, 2024 10:00 AM CST

BigLaw firm sanctioned for ‘flagrant violations of a protective order’

Latham & Watkins and its client must pay an attorney-fee sanction for “flagrant violations of a protective order,” according to a federal judge in California.

Nov 4, 2024 2:36 PM CST

Dechert, 2 ex-partners settle RICO suit alleging scheme to steal data from client’s opponent

An airline executive who alleged that a former Dechert partner conspired to hack and release his emails in a campaign to silence him has settled his civil RICO lawsuit against the law firm defendants.

Sep 23, 2024 9:33 AM CDT

Lawyer must face ethics charge alleging he tried to hire Israeli hackers to access judge’s emails

A California bar court judge has rejected a lawyer’s bid to dismiss an ethics charge alleging that he plotted to hire Israeli hackers to hack in to the email and phone accounts of a judge and a lawyer.

Sep 19, 2024 11:52 AM CDT

Creative Legal Fundings company was ‘neither creative nor legal,’ SEC official alleges

A California woman who created a company ostensibly to loan money to personal-injury attorneys is accused of spending millions of dollars in investor funds to support her "lavish lifestyle."

Sep 5, 2024 9:08 AM CDT

Lawyer who reported suspected wrongdoing can’t collect whistleblower award, DC Circuit says

An in-house lawyer who reported suspected wrongdoing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission can’t recover a whistleblower award, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Aug 19, 2024 10:31 AM CDT

‘Huge market opportunity’ for some law firms during ESG backlash

Most major U.S. law firms in recent years have launched dedicated environmental, social and governance (ESG) practice groups to help clients navigate a surge of new rules and initiatives emerging across climate; sustainability; diversity, equity and inclusion; human capital; and other areas. But more recently, law firms have run squarely into the political backlash against ESG.

Aug 1, 2024 2:20 AM CDT

Targeting white-collar crime, DOJ seeks more whistleblowers

Under a Biden administration program the Justice Department plans to unveil within weeks, authorities will offer whistleblowers who provide tips that lead to successful prosecutions a percentage of the resulting penalties and fees—an amount that could total millions of dollars.

Jul 10, 2024 3:30 PM CDT