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Broker-Dealers

Overview

Drawing on decades of collective experience, Faegre Drinker helps broker-dealers navigate and resolve the legal, regulatory, compliance and fiduciary issues impacting them and others in the financial services industry. Our team of attorneys dedicated to broker-dealers includes members who have held senior positions as in-house counsel at brokerage firms and various high-level positions at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Division of Enforcement and Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). We have the experience and substantive proficiency needed to advocate for and advance your interests before federal regulatory and administrative authorities and state securities regulators.

Litigation and Arbitration

We handle broker-customer and broker-employee litigations and arbitrations, litigation against the SEC, FINRA, other regulatory and self-regulatory organizations, and disciplinary hearings and appeals, and we provide counsel on regulatory matters. In addition, we represent clients in an array of employment and ERISA disputes, and practice in the FINRA Dispute Resolution, JAMS and American Arbitration Authority (AAA) arbitration forums and before the SEC, FINRA, Department of Labor (DOL) and state regulatory bodies.

Enforcement Investigations and Regulatory Examinations

Team members defend broker-dealers and their affiliated investment advisers, hedge funds, private equity firms, trading firms, and officers, directors, and registered representatives in enforcement investigations by the SEC, FINRA, other regulatory and self-regulatory organizations, state attorneys general offices and the Department of Justice (DOJ). We have extensive experience successfully defending enforcement investigations, leading internal investigations to assess issues such as self-reporting, and counseling clients through high-stakes regulatory examinations by the SEC and FINRA.

Compliance

We draft and review compliance manuals, codes of ethics, valuation and pricing procedures, portfolio-trading policies, proxy voting procedures, selective disclosure policies, anti–money laundering programs and business continuity plans, and we advise on annual compliance testing and risk assessments as well as Regulation Best Interest, ERISA and DOL fiduciary issues.

FinTech

We assist clients with issues related to drafting and reviewing technology and data agreements regarding high-frequency trading, evaluating infrastructure for matching engines and dark pools, risk checks, tools for proprietary trading, and market data distribution and licensing. Our attorneys also consult on financial big data and analytics, FINRA reporting and records management, and low-latency data connectivity services.

Insights & Events

Insights
Updates November 2025

Senate Bipartisan Draft Would Establish New Federal Regime for Digital Commodity Markets

How to Help Determine Whether a Tokenized Carbon Credit — or Any Other Digital Asset — May Be Considered a Digital Commodity Under the Draft
10 min read
Updates August 2025

Thinking ESOPs: The Truth About ‘Conflicts’ Under ERISA

Anderson, et al. v. Intel Corp. Investment Policy Committee, et al., No. 22-16268 (9th Cir. May 22, 2025)
3 min read
Media Mentions April 2025

Fred Reish Cautions Against Rollovers on Retirement Savings in MarketWatch

1 min read
Blog Post April 2025

FINRA’s Focus on Account Recommendations and Rollovers

Broker Dealer Law blog
1 min read
Blog Post February 2025

What’s New with FINRA’s Recent 2025 Regulatory Oversight Report

Broker Dealer Law blog
1 min read
Blog Post January 2025

The Best Interest Process for Plan-to-IRA Rollover

Broker Dealer Law blog
1 min read
Media Mentions December 2024

Fred Reish Speaks With CNBC on Potential Overturning of Retirement Security Rule Under Trump Administration

2 min read
Media Mentions December 2024

Fred Reish Discusses Potential Third Installment of the SECURE Act With Financial Advisor

1 min read
Blog Post September 2024

Rollover Recommendations: PTE 2020-02 Compliance Considerations Following the DOL Fiduciary Rule Stay

Broker Dealer Law Blog
1 min read
Updates August 2024

Navigating in Cyberspace: Off-Channel Communications and Regulatory Risk

9 min read

Meet The Team

Meet The Full Broker-Dealers Team