Corporate Defense and Disputes

Important developments in U.S. securities law, white collar criminal defense, regulatory enforcement and other emerging issues impacting financial services institutions, publicly traded companies and private investment funds

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Robert Leonard

Robert Leonard is a partner in the Hedge Funds Group. For more than 30 years Rob has been structuring, organizing and representing hedge funds, funds of funds and other private investment funds (both domestic and offshore), family offices, institutional investors and investment advisers.

He has structured and organized numerous master-feeder, side-by-side and mini-master-feeder funds for hedge fund managers engaged in myriad strategies, including long/short equity, multi-strat, credit, distressed credit, mortgage-backed securities, risk arb, emerging markets, global macro, stat arb, relative value, event driven and direct lending.

Rob has advised managers on seed deals, founder’s classes, funds of one and placement agreements and develops innovative ways of building asset bases. He also has worked with managers on bringing in and retaining talent through structuring employment, “phantom” equity and true equity arrangements.

Rob has handled a variety of regulatory and other compliance matters, including registrations with the SEC, CFTC and state regulators, filing Form PF and filings with the Treasury Department and Bureau of Economic Analysis. In addition, he works on SEC and other regulatory examinations and investigations, as well as investor and third-party actions. Rob is also recognized as a national leader on alternative data where he counsels clients on due diligence on data providers, risk assessment and document negotiation.

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SEC Brings First Enforcement Action Against Alternative Data Provider

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filed a settled securities fraud action against App Annie Inc., one of the largest sellers of market data on how apps on mobile devices are performing, and its co-founder and former CEO and Chairman Bertrand Schmitt.  The settlement is the first enforcement action brought by the SEC against an … Continue Reading

MNPI Update: SEC Pursues “Shadow Trading” Insider Trading Case

The SEC recently charged a former employee of a biopharmaceutical company with insider trading in advance of an acquisition but with a unique twist: Trading the securities of a company unrelated to the merger. The employee, Matthew Panuwat, did not trade his own company’s or the acquiring company’s securities, but instead purchased stock options for … Continue Reading

SEC to Conduct Second Round of Cybersecurity Examinations

On September 15, 2015, the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a Risk Alert announcing its second round of examinations of registered investment advisers and broker-dealers under its cybersecurity examination initiative.… Continue Reading

Pay-to-Play Rule: SEC Announces Compliance Date for Ban on Third-Party Solicitation of Government Entities

Last month, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) set a compliance date of July 31, 2015 for the ban on payments to third parties for the solicitation of advisory business from any government entity under Rule 206(4)-5 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (Pay-to-Play Rule). At the same time, the SEC also clarified in … Continue Reading
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