SEC Enforcement Division: "Business As Usual" As Securities Enforcement Leaders Gather Virtually For Securities Enforcement Forum West 2020

Like most of the rest of the world, the speakers and attendees at Securities Enforcement Forum West 2020 last week had to adapt this year by trading in their microphones on the stage of a grand ballroom for an array of home offices and Zoom backgrounds. But the panels themselves, several of which have become recurring staples at the annual conference, still conducted deep dives into key enforcement issues. Topics ranged from COVID-19 impacts, cryptocurrency developments, scrutiny of private companies, financial disclosures and accounting fraud, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and the SEC's oversight of market manipulation and insider trading. Overall, the full-day forum presented by Securities Docket on May 12 underscored that securities enforcement and litigation are not slowing down, and companies and their attorneys need to be prepared to respond and defend themselves when faced with heightened SEC scrutiny.