Williams & Connolly LLP lawyers provide securities advice to both individuals and businesses in connection with registered public offerings, private placements and ongoing reporting, and compliance matters. In addition, the firm has broad experience in both SEC enforcement matters and securities litigation.

The firm has represented a NASDAQ-listed local Internet company, beginning with assistance in its initial public offering through several subsequent rounds of equity financing. We served as issuer's counsel for a Middle Eastern company in connection with its proposed initial public offering in the U.S. We have represented issuers before NASDAQ with regard to listing issues.

We have represented numerous corporations in class actions brought under securities laws, including Archer Daniels Midland Company. We have also been involved in non-class-action securities cases and have represented individual defendants in securities class actions including officers of Morrison Knudsen Corporation, Octagon, Inc., and Mobile Telecommunications Technologies Corporation.

The firm has defended a number of shareholder derivative suits. In some, we have represented the corporate defendant. In other derivative cases, our clients have been individual defendants, such as officers of corporations. One of our partners is the author of Bank Directors', Officers', and Lawyers' Civil Liabilities and has defended many bank officers and directors.

We have successfully defended variants of the normal securities law claims, including claims under the federal proxy statute and rules, the Delaware common-law duty of disclosure, and Article 8 of the Uniform Commercial Code.

Defense of SEC enforcement matters is another aspect of our securities practice. In addition to standard investigations, examples include cases involving allegations of insider trading and professional and accountant liability under the securities laws.

The firm is qualified to handle crisis situations involving complex accounting and legal issues. We represented the audit committee of a Fortune 500 company when management abruptly abandoned the company amidst allegations of accounting improprieties. We worked closely with outside auditors throughout the process of restating the company's prior financial statements, with no interruption to the company's participation in the financial markets.