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BRAEDEN ANDERSON

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We provide authoritative analysis on securities and commodities regulation, SEC and FINRA enforcement, and legal developments affecting crypto, digital assets, fintech, and financial services, authored by Braeden Anderson.

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Opinion: If the SEC calls, don’t just call “a lawyer”

When a Fortune 500 company receives an SEC subpoena, they know what to do. When a major bank is contacted by FINRA or the DOJ, they move quickly—and strategically. They don’t just call “a lawyer.” They retain people who live and breathe securities enforcement—attorneys who have either worked inside the SEC or DOJ or trained at elite law firms defending clients in high-stakes regulatory matters. But I see something different play out for smaller companies, startups, founders, and even mid-size financial firms. When they get that same letter or subpoena, they panic. They call the first lawyer they can think of—sometimes a family friend, a generalist litigator, or someone recommended by their insurance panel. And while those lawyers may be talented in other areas, they often have little or no experience with securities enforcement defense.

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Braeden Anderson

K. Braeden Anderson serves as a Partner at Gesmer Updegrove LLP, where he leads the firm’s Blockchain & Digital Assets and Securities Enforcement & Investigations practices. He also chairs Mackrell International’s Blockchain & Digital Assets Group and its Securities Enforcement & Investigations Group.

Named to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America (2025) for Financial Services Regulation Law and Securities Regulation, Mr. Anderson has built a national reputation as a securities regulatory and enforcement attorney operating at the intersection of traditional finance and emerging technologies. His practice focuses on advising financial institutions, fintech companies, investment advisers (including robo-advisors), broker-dealers, trading platforms, and digital asset companies in complex regulatory, enforcement, and compliance matters before the SEC, CFTC, FINRA, DOJ, and state regulators.

Within the digital asset and blockchain space, Mr. Anderson regularly counsels clients on issues involving market structure, tokenization, robo-advisor and broker-dealer registration, custody frameworks, AML and KYC obligations, and secondary trading considerations for regulated assets. His work spans both established financial institutions and early-stage ventures, helping clients operate within rapidly evolving regulatory environments with precision and strategic clarity.

Mr. Anderson also represents professional athletes and sports organizations in connection with regulatory and investigative matters requiring careful handling and discretion.

Prior to joining Gesmer, Mr. Anderson founded a Washington, D.C.-based law firm. He previously served as Assistant General Counsel at Robinhood Markets, Inc. (HOOD), where he advised on significant regulatory and enforcement matters. Earlier in his career, he practiced at Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Sidley Austin LLP in New York and Washington, D.C., representing clients in matters involving major federal enforcement authorities and providing regulatory advice on complex financial matters.

Mr. Anderson is an active contributor to the national conversation on securities and digital asset regulation. He publishes a widely followed weekly newsletter that has reached millions of legal and financial professionals and produces video content on YouTube for an audience of over 160,000 subscribers. He is also the editor of this legal publication, Anderson Insights, where he provides in-depth analysis for regulators, in-house counsel, and compliance professionals.

Mr. Anderson is also the creator of The Long Game with Braeden Anderson, a new digital series on YouTube exploring the intersection of golf, discipline, and high-performance thinking, featuring match-play conversations with legal executives and business leaders.

He was recently recognized as the most-read fintech thought leader in the United States in Mondaq’s Spring 2025 Thought Leadership Awards.