Securities Enforcement. Corporate Investigations. Financial Regulation.
Independent analysis of the laws, regulations, investigations, and enforcement actions shaping modern financial markets.
BRAEDEN ANDERSON
Braeden is one of the top securities lawyers in the country and was recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America in the Financial Services Regulation Law and Securities Regulation categories. This honor is awarded to only the top 2% of attorneys in the United States and is based on a comprehensive peer-review survey.
Braeden helped lead Gesmer Updegrove to recognition in The Legal 500 United States for Corporate Investigations & White Collar Crime, Tier 3, and Finance: Fintech, Tier 4.
Braeden is active in the U.S. securities enforcement community through Securities Docket, where he has served on the 2025 and 2026 Advisory Boards and contributed video commentary through the Weekly Update.
Braeden was named the #1 United States author in FinTech in Mondaq’s Spring 2025 Thought Leadership Awards, reflecting the national reach and influence of his writing on fintech, securities regulation, and digital asset policy.
Kamala Harris’s Team Is Considering Candidates to Replace SEC Chair Gary Gensler
With the 2024 election heating up and polls showing a tight race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, both camps are laying out vastly different strategies, including their approaches to regulatory enforcement. As part of Harris’s transition planning, her team is already vetting candidates to replace Gary Gensler as Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), signaling potential shifts in the Commission's direction—particularly in its treatment of cryptocurrency and emerging financial technologies.
SEC Charges WisdomTree Asset Management with ESG Misstatements and Compliance Failures
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., a New York-based investment adviser, with failing to adhere to its own investment criteria for funds marketed as incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors. The charges stem from the firm’s misstatements and compliance lapses related to the execution of its ESG investment strategies.
Regulatory Compliance in a Whistleblower-Focused Era: How Companies Can Stay Ahead
With regulators intensifying scrutiny, companies today face growing pressure to strengthen their compliance programs, especially in an environment where whistleblower activity is on the rise. Both the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have sharpened their focus on what they expect from businesses when it comes to managing risk, ensuring ethical behavior, and maintaining transparent operations.
Musk and Dogecoin Investors Go Another Round: Post-Dismissal Sanctions Motions in Dogecoin Class Action
The legal drama between Elon Musk, Tesla, and Dogecoin investors continues to unfold in a battle that refuses to end, even after the dismissal of a securities class action by a Manhattan federal judge in late August 2023. Initially, the Dogecoin investors accused Musk and Tesla of manipulating the price of the cryptocurrency for personal and corporate gain. However, after four rounds of amendments to the complaint, the judge dismissed the case, seemingly putting an end to the litigation.
SEC Charges North Carolina Resident with Insider Trading in Biopharmaceutical Company
In a recent enforcement action, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged Matthew Groom, a North Carolina resident, with insider trading involving the Massachusetts-based biopharmaceutical company, Spero Therapeutics, Inc. According to the SEC’s complaint, Groom used confidential information obtained during his role as an IT consultant for Spero to avoid substantial financial losses ahead of a significant corporate announcement.