Lindi Beaudreault, counsel in the New York office, was the featured speaker on a November 23 conference call hosted by Susquehanna International Group dealing with the widening federal probe of alleged insider trading by hedge funds.

Beaudreault commented that the current investigations reflect a multi-year effort by the SEC to focus on trading by hedge funds and other professional investors. She noted that the SEC has brought approximately 14 insider trading cases in 2009 and 2010 against investment professionals, compared to only 8 in 2005-2008. In 2008, the SEC began coordinating market surveillance efforts that previously had been conducted separately by various exchanges. Beaudreault said that "although previous efforts had focused on opportunistic insider trading surrounding mergers or other corporate events, the current investigations reflect a renewed SEC focus on 'expert networks' and consulting firms."