Securities and shareholder litigation arrives with high stakes, a thicket of regulation, and reputational pressure on top of the legal exposure. We defend public companies, directors, and officers in securities class actions, shareholder derivative suits, and SEC enforcement matters, building a defense that holds up under the heightened pleading standards these cases demand.
Securities Class Actions
We defend securities fraud class actions that challenge your disclosures, accounting, or management statements after a stock drop. From the motion to dismiss through class certification and damages, we attack loss causation, scienter, and event-study assumptions, and we put real pressure on the plaintiffs' theory at each stage rather than waiting to negotiate from a position of weakness.
Shareholder Derivative Suits
Derivative claims often follow on the heels of a class action, with shareholders suing on the company's behalf and alleging that the board failed in its oversight duties. We defend these suits, press demand futility and business judgment defenses, and coordinate the derivative track with the underlying securities litigation so the two cases do not undercut each other.
SEC Enforcement Defense
An SEC inquiry can run alongside private litigation or stand on its own, and the choices you make early shape everything that follows. We represent companies and individuals in SEC investigations and enforcement proceedings, managing Wells submissions, testimony, and document production while protecting privilege and working toward a resolution that limits penalties and collateral consequences.
Director And Officer Defense
When the complaint names your directors and officers personally, the stakes get individual fast. We defend D&O exposure in securities and governance disputes, coordinate closely with your D&O insurers on coverage and consent rights, and watch for conflicts between what helps the company and what protects the individuals named. We keep each director and officer informed and protected while we run the broader defense for the company.