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Ghillaine Reid

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Ghillaine co-leads the Securities Investigations + Enforcement Practice Group at Troutman Pepper. She focuses her practice on government and securities regulatory investigations, financial services litigation, commercial litigation, and corporate compliance. Drawing on her experience in government service and private practice, Ghillaine regularly represents corporations and individuals in investigations conducted by the Securities & Exchange Commission, the Department of Justice, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, and other government and regulatory agencies. Ghillaine has successfully defended several high profile SEC investigations and enforcement proceedings involving a wide range of significant issues, including insider trading, accounting fraud, market manipulation, and broker-dealer sales practice violations. Prior to entering private practice, Ghillaine was a Branch Chief and Staff Attorney in the New York Regional Office of the Securities & Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement, where she investigated and litigated a wide range of securities enforcement matters.

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Troutman Pepper Locke’s Securities Investigations and Enforcement team counsels and defends clients through all stages of securities enforcement proceedings. Our attorneys have served in key government agencies and regulatory bodies, and bring their insight to bear in each representation. The team includes a former branch chief of the Division of Enforcement at the SEC, former enforcement lawyers, regulators and government attorneys, assistant United States Attorneys and former assistant attorneys general, as well as in-house counsel for public companies. Our lawyers and practice have been identified as leaders in the field by publications such as the Legal 500, SuperLawyers, Benchmark Litigation, and Chambers USA.

On January 9, the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari in Ongkaruck Sripetch v. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The case arises out of an SEC civil enforcement action in the Ninth Circuit and squarely presents an important remedial question that the Court left open in Liu v. SEC, i.e., what counts as a “victim” for purposes of SEC disgorgement, and does the SEC have to show that investors actually lost money before it can obtain that relief?

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (FINRA) 2026 Annual Regulatory Oversight Report is the most current and comprehensive statement of FINRA’s priorities and expectations for member firms. It does not create new legal obligations, but it is clearly designed as an exam and enforcement roadmap. The 2026 Report weaves together FINRA’s FINRA Forward modernization program, new and evolving risks (especially cyber‑enabled fraud and generative AI (GenAI)), and detailed observations on firms’ supervisory, operational, and financial controls. Firms should use it as a structured checklist for 2026 risk assessments, revisions to written supervisory procedures (WSPs), and enhancements to testing, surveillance, and training.

Troutman Pepper Locke’s Securities Investigations + Enforcement Practice

Troutman Pepper Locke’s Securities Investigations and Enforcement team counsels and defends clients through all stages of securities enforcement proceedings. Our attorneys have served in key government agencies and regulatory bodies, and bring their insight to bear in each representation. The team includes a former branch chief of…

On September 26, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Paul S. Atkins announced a return to the SEC’s prior practice of allowing individuals and entities facing enforcement actions to request that the SEC simultaneously consider both their settlement offers and any related waiver requests. Waivers may be necessary to avoid automatic disqualifications and collateral consequences that can result from enforcement actions, such as the loss of well-known seasoned issuer status, safe harbor protections, private offering exemptions, or the ability to serve in certain regulated capacities.

On September 5, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced the formation of a Cross-Border Task Force. This initiative aims to enhance the Division of Enforcement’s capabilities in identifying and combating cross-border fraud that adversely affects U.S. investors. As global markets become increasingly interconnected, the SEC’s proactive approach underscores its commitment to safeguarding the integrity of U.S. capital markets.

On September 2, the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) issued a Joint Staff Statement regarding the listing of leveraged, margined, or financed spot retail commodity transactions on digital assets. Specifically, the SEC’s Division of Trading and Markets and the CFTC’s Division of Market Oversight and Division of Clearing and Risk shared their view that “current law does not prohibit” SEC- or CFTC-registered exchanges from facilitating trading of those spot crypto asset products.

Last week, TZP Management Associates, LLC (TZP), a New York-based private equity investment adviser, agreed to pay more than $680,000 in monetary relief to settle charges brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for breaches of fiduciary duty related to the calculation of management fees for TZP’s private fund clients. This enforcement action highlights the importance of adhering to fund partnership agreements and providing adequate disclosure of fee calculation and management practices to mitigate potential conflicts of interest.

On August 1, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced the formation of a new task force dedicated to harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance innovation and efficiency across the agency. This initiative, led by Valerie Szczepanik, SEC’s newly appointed Chief AI Officer, marks a significant step in the agency’s commitment to integrating this technology into its operations.

On June 6, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the petition for certiorari in the case of Navellier & Associates, Inc. v. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This decision effectively upholds the lower courts’ rulings, allowing the SEC to continue its practice of disgorging profits obtained through fraudulent activities without needing to prove direct financial harm to investors.