Dynamis LLP

Partner

Robert S. Frenchman defends financial services clients in investigations and at trial, facing off against government prosecutors, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, and other securities and commodities regulators. These representations have involved, in recent years, insider trading, securities fraud, commodities fraud, wire fraud, spoofing, cryptocurrencies, specialist trading, market making, mortgage-backed securities, order routing, short selling, benchmark rates, securities lending, margin, and research. Mr. Frenchman is also called upon to conduct internal investigations, and to advise on a wide range of securities and commodities law issues.

Mr. Frenchman has played a prominent role in the successful defense of major white collar defendants in groundbreaking cases. This has included the full acquittal of a UBS trader, Andre Flotron, charged by federal prosecutors with “spoofing” in the precious metals markets. This has also included the trial of Michael Gramins, a mortgage-backed securities trader, which resulted in six counts of acquittal. In addition to his work on the Gramins and Flotron trials, Mr. Frenchman represented the star witness and source of the material non-public information in United States v. Martoma, who received a non-prosecution agreement from federal prosecutors.

Prior to joining Dynamis LLP, Mr. Frenchman was a co-founder of Mukasey Frenchman LLP, a boutique law firm specializing in white collar criminal defense. Before Mukasey Frenchman LLP, Mr. Frenchman was a partner in two major international law firms.

Mr. Frenchman began his legal career by serving as a law clerk for the Honorable Nauman S. Scott, a senior United States District Court Judge.

Mr. Frenchman served on the Board of Directors of Rescuing Leftover Cuisine, a nonprofit food rescue organization, from 2015 to 2022.  Mr. Frenchman was Co-Chair between 2015 and 2020.

Mr. Frenchman served on the Board of Directors of West 73rd Tenants Corporation as Corporate Secretary (1999-2000), and the Board of Directors of 20 West 90th Street Corporation as President (2013-2020).

Tulane University School of Law, J.D., cum laude, member of Tulane Law Review.

Bowdoin College, B.A., History and Government.