Compliance into the Weeds - SOX Compliance, PCAOB Inspections and Audits
Compliance into the Weeds-Episode 57-SOX Reform or Not?
Compliance into the Weeds-Episode 51, the PCAOB and Compliance
Compliance into the Weeds-Espiode 47
Everything Compliance-Episode 12
Day 5 of One Month to Better Investigations and Reporting-the Board’s Investigation Protocol
Compliance into the Weeds-Episode 30-SOX 404(b)
FCPA Compliance and Ethics Report-Episode 145-SEC Enforcement of the FCPA, Part II
On April 23, the Federal Trade Commission voted 3-2 to adopt a final rule banning noncompete agreements. The FTC defines a "non-compete clause" broadly as a term or condition of employment that prohibits a worker from, or...more
On October 30, 2023, the US Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") announced that it filed charges against SolarWinds Corp. ("SolarWinds" or the "Company") and its Chief Information Security Officer ("CISO") in connection...more
The U.S. Supreme Court began its new term this week and is taking cases government enforcement practitioners will want to follow. Specifically, the Court will address issues concerning: the interplay between SEC...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held that a statement of opinion that reflects some subjective judgment can nevertheless be actionable under the securities laws if it misleads investors into thinking that the...more
Can a new Department of Justice enforcement approach make clawback policies covering criminal activities a best practice? The DOJ is implementing a new policy under which prosecutors will make clawback policies for...more
Outside of the small circle of federal securities law nerds (we proudly proclaim our membership), the phrase "disclosure controls and procedures" (DCP) rarely garners much attention. However, a recent settled order issued by...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) released an annual summary, on November 15, 2022, of actions brought by the Division of Enforcement (“Division”) over fiscal year 2022 (“Enforcement Summary”), providing an...more
DOJ and the SEC Enforcement Division have launched initiatives targeting executive compensation clawbacks. The SEC is aggressively pursuing SOX 304 compensation clawbacks from Chief Executive Officers and Chief Financial...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has followed through on its much publicized intention of more aggressive enforcement. For instance, in June, the regulator brought an accounting fraud action that included a...more
On Friday, June 3, Representative Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), the committee’s Ranking Member, and Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS), Ranking...more
In this episode which is Part II of my look at SEC enforcement of the FCPA, I consider whether profit disgorgement is available to the SEC in a strict liability enforcement action of violation of internal controls. ...more
I think that a strict liability standard is coming to Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement. A number of factors have caused me to come to this conclusion. While there may well be wide disagreement as to whether...more
The Commission resolved its actions against the PRC based affiliates of five major accounting firms for failure to produce audit work papers. The settlement contains a series of procedures designed to facilitate production in...more
In the right kind of enforcement action, the SEC can take the money it’s generated and set up what’s called a Fair Fund to redistribute that money to harmed investors. But what is the right kind of case? This procedure was...more
On July 31, 2014, the SEC awarded $400,000 to a whistleblower who had reported internally before providing information to the SEC. The award was unique because the SEC’s Claims Review Staff had denied the whistleblower’s...more
On July 30, 2014, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) announced enforcement actions against Marc Sherman and Edward Cummings, CEO and former CFO, respectively, of QSGI, Inc., a publicly traded computer...more
Many readers of this blog will recall that the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) is 37 years old this year. Perhaps less might remember that also 37 years ago, NASA launched Voyager II, which was an unmanned spacecraft. ...more
In This Issue: - AUDITOR LIABILITY: ..Athale v. Sinotech Energy Ltd., No. 11 Civ. 05831(AJN) (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 21, 2014) - BYLAWS: ..ATP Tour, Inc. v. Deutscher Tennis Bund (German Tennis...more
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“Sarbanes-Oxley”) was enacted following the accounting scandals of the early 2000s involving Enron, WorldCom and other public companies. Congress passed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and...more
Andrew Ceresney, SEC Co-Director of the Division of Enforcement, recently gave a talk on financial reporting and accounting fraud. Mr. Ceresney reviewed statistics showing declines in restatements and accounting fraud cases....more