Lawrence E. Ritchie Lawrence E. Ritchie

DOJ launches FCPA investigation into Major League Baseball

The U.S. Department of Justice (the DOJ) has reportedly commenced an investigation into Major League Baseball centering on alleged Foreign Corrupt...

Deferred Prosecution Agreements (DPAs) come into force in Canada

On September 19, 2018, amendments to Criminal Code came into force establishing for the first time a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) regime for...

Government of Ontario rejects CSA proposal on embedded commissions

Earlier today, the Canadian Securities Administrators published proposed regulatory amendments that would prohibit the payment of commissions to...

U.S. court limits application of FCPA for non-resident foreign nationals

A U.S. court has found the jurisdictional reach of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) does not extend to non-resident foreign nationals when...

IIROC’s enforcement authority gets a stronger legal backbone

The Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) recently released its 2017 Enforcement Report. Chief among this past...

200 tips in two years: The continued progress of the OSC’s Whistleblower Program

On June 29, 2018, the Ontario Securities Commission (“OSC”) released an update detailing the progress of its Whistleblower Program. As we...

Confronting cultures of harassment: Class actions on the rise in the wake of #MeToo?

The last year has seen a swell of class actions alleging bullying, harassment and other systemic misconduct in the workplace. Mostly recently, on...

CSA publishes harmonized response to concerns regarding client-registrant relationship

On June 21, 2018, the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) released two published notices concerning investor protection initiatives.  The...

“Wake-up call” for Australian Boards: Regulator identifies shortcomings in Bank’s practices

In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and revelations concerning Wells Fargo’s sales practices, numerous reviews have been launched by...

U.S. financial industry “eagerly” awaits SEC’s best interest standard

While in Canada division continues over the issue of “best interest” in the financial advisory industry the U.S. national securities...