ETF Issuers Urge SEC To Focus On Risk Over Novelty

By Aislinn Keely

Exchanges and issuers urged the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to apply existing rules for exchange-traded funds to oversee "novel" offerings holding asset classes like crypto and event contracts, while consumer advocacy groups took a hard line against products referencing sports or election wagers.

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SEC Plans To Bless Transfer Agents' Blockchain Use

By Jessica Corso

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is promising sweeping changes to the rules governing transfer agents for the first time in 40 years, issuing a proposal Tuesday that would, among other things, allow agents to utilize the blockchain in tracking securities ownership. 

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SEC Sends White House Plan For Retail Private Market Access

By Sarah Jarvis

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Division of Investment Management has submitted to the White House a proposal to help facilitate retail investors' exposure to private markets and enable investment advisers to charge related performance fees, saying it could provide more opportunities for investors looking to diversify their portfolios.

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Meme Coin Platform Pump.fun Must Face Users' RICO Claims

By Katryna Perera

A New York federal judge has allowed racketeering claims to proceed against the operator of meme coin launchpad Pump.fun and its co-founders, while dismissing securities and unjust enrichment claims against the launchpad's related blockchain projects.

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Crypto Investment Firm Accused Of Fraud Must Face Ga. Suit

By Sydney Price

A Texas-based crypto investment company can't dodge a fraud suit brought against it in Georgia federal court, after a judge said the suit shows the firm and its management transacted business in the Peach State and used a business dinner in Atlanta to tout their offerings.

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Rutgers Prof Accused Of Crypto 'Pump And Dump' Scheme

By Hailey Konnath

A cryptocurrency investor alleges a Rutgers University computer science professor used his academic credentials and university affiliation to secure investments in a token whose value has since collapsed, "a classic pump and dump scheme," according to a suit filed in New Jersey federal court.

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SEC's Long-Awaited Crypto Rule Is 1st Piece Of Larger Puzzle

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently proposed crypto rule provides issuers with a workable exempt offering framework but leaves holder-side questions for forthcoming rules, meaning compliance officers and counsel will have to work from an incomplete picture for now, says Josh Burton at Silver Regulatory Associates.

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What Nonbank Lenders Should Watch In 'Open Banking' Redo

Nonbank mortgage lenders should prepare for several key changes in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's anticipated open banking rule rewrite that could reshape verification costs, vendor relationships and loan workflows, says Kara Ward at Baker Donelson.

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Thomson Reuters Cyberattack Hits North American Courts

By Bonnie Eslinger

A recent cyberattack on Thomson Reuters' court management software affected files associated with court systems in 11 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada, and may have exposed sealed documents and individuals' personal information, according to a Wednesday announcement from the technology and information services company.

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Calif. Bill Regulating Atty AI Use Heads To Newsom's Desk

By Emily Sawicki

A bill regulating attorneys' and arbitrators' use of generative artificial intelligence has unanimously passed the California State Legislature and is headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk.

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'Astonished' Homebuyer Says Atty Email Lapse Caused Hack

By Pete Brush

A New York City law firm has been ordered to provide internet security and login information to a homebuyer who claims she was left in "shock" when an impostor with access to her lawyer's email tricked her into wiring away over $730,000.

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House Rejects Amendment To Fix Court At 9 Justices

By Courtney Bublé

The House failed to pass a proposed constitutional amendment on Wednesday that would keep the number of U.S. Supreme Court justices at nine.

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Dems Call Subpoenas' Secrecy Request 'Abuse Of Authority'

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

Democratic lawmakers Sen. Ron Wyden, Ore., and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Wash., have called for an investigation into subpoenas issued from federal law enforcement to private companies that contain nondisclosure provisions and carry threats of legal consequences for noncompliance.

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Tyson's Price-Fixing Deal Merits $27.5M Atty Fees, Buyers Say

By Dorothy Atkins

Beef direct purchasers asked a Minnesota federal judge Tuesday to award class counsel $27.5 million in fees, or one-third of Tyson's $82.5 million price-fixing settlement, arguing that the deal was reached after six years of hard-fought antitrust litigation and adds to another settlement, bringing the total recovery to $135 million.

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JPMorgan Seeks Stay Of $20M Javice, Amar Fee Order

By Jarek Rutz

JPMorgan Chase & Co. urged the Delaware Chancery Court on Wednesday to pause enforcement of an order requiring it to advance more than $20 million in disputed legal fees to convicted Frank founder Charlie Javice and former executive Olivier Amar, arguing the bank could permanently lose the money before it gets a chance to challenge the ruling.

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ABA Outlines Attys' Duties To Clients With Intellectual Limits

By Jack Karp

Attorneys have the same obligations to clients with decision-making limitations, should abide by those clients' decisions regarding their representation and must work to maintain an ordinary client-lawyer relationship as much as possible, the American Bar Association said in an opinion released Wednesday.

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