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Jeffrey Blackwood has practiced in the Jackson office for over 22 years and has handled a variety of complex commercial litigation matters. He recently represented a private equity firm in a breach of contract matter during the pandemic that involved numerous hearings and over 25 depositions, all conducted remotely. He is actively representing broker-dealers and registered investment advisors in FINRA arbitrations and investigations before the Mississippi Secretary of State Securities Division. Jeffrey has successfully tried a case in Delaware Chancery Court representing a trust in litigation involving investment LLCs, where the client prevailed and was awarded attorneys’ fees, and he recently obtained dismissal of a putative class action in federal court in Mississippi representing a healthcare client. He routinely speaks and writes on topics related to securities regulatory and enforcement matters. He also has significant experience in representing life insurance companies and brokers in a variety of matters, including sales practice litigation, regulatory actions and professional negligence actions.

Q&A with the Mississippi Securities Division: From Ponzi Schemes to CryptocurrencyState securities regulators saw a busy 2021, and 2022 looks to continue in much the same fashion. Some of the more active topics for regulators have included protecting senior investors, stopping fraudulent investment schemes targeting individual investors, and battling the ever-present threat of Ponzi schemes. Another big headline for regulators was cryptocurrency companies and the

The Supreme Court Levels the SEC Playing FieldIn a highly anticipated decision, the United States Supreme Court ruled the practice employed for years by the Securities and Exchange Commission of choosing administrative law judges to hear SEC enforcement actions, violates the Appointments Clause of the Constitution. The Supreme Court, in Lucia v. Securities and Exchange Commission, held that administrative law judges

SEC Encourages Advisors to Self-Report Fiduciary Violations by June 12, 2018The SEC announced a self-reporting initiative for investment advisors who admit violations of the federal securities laws relating to certain mutual fund share class election issues while promptly returning money to harmed investors. The initiative is entitled the “Share Class Selection Disclosure Initiative” and is focused on those advisors who have put clients into high-fee

SEC Wants the Truth and Nothing but the Truth in AdvertisingTell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth: that’s the message to registered investment advisors from the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) in a recent risk alert about the SEC’s Advertising Rule (Rule 206(4)-1).

The rule prohibits advisors from making untrue statements of material fact and from otherwise including misleading

Supreme Court Decision Provides Significant Protection to Securities Industry, Limits SEC EnforcementIn a decision previewed in an earlier post, the United States Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Kokesh v. Securities and Exchange Commission that the five-year statute of limitations in 28 U.S.C. section 2462 applies to SEC enforcement actions seeking the remedy of disgorgement. Resolving a Circuit split, the Supreme Court ruled that disgorgement is

Bradley Launches New Broker Dealer and Investment Advisor Blog SeriesBradley’s Banking & Financial Services Team is pleased to announce a new blog series led by its Broker-Dealer and Investment Advisor Team. The series will focus on issues critical to assisting financial institutions and service providers in maintaining compliance, protecting their operations and developing their businesses while minimizing risk.

Bradley’s Broker-Dealer & Investment Advisor