The Minefield of Dodd-Frank’s Whistleblower Provisions and the FCPA: 2015 Update

The word is out—the SEC has made good on its promise to pay millions of dollars in awards to those who come forward with evidence of securities law violations and employees are taking notice. For the fourth consecutive year, 2015 saw the number of tips flowing into the SEC Office of the Whistleblower reach a record high, including a new high for complaints of FCPA violations. Indeed, SEC FCPA Unit Chief Kara Brockmeyer recently described Dodd-Frank’s whistleblower incentive provisions as a “game-changer” for FCPA enforcement. Meanwhile, the SEC’s Division of Enforcement brought an unprecedented enforcement action to discourage what it views as overly restrictive employee confidentiality agreements. And federal courts across the nation continue to reach disparate conclusions concerning the scope of Dodd-Frank’s whistleblower retaliation provisions. These trends, coupled with dynamic developments in FCPA enforcement, provide the perfect storm for keeping in-house counsel and compliance professionals up at night. Featuring an experienced panel of plaintiff- and defense-side whistleblower and anti-corruption practitioners, including counsel to the whistleblower who received the largest award in Dodd-Frank’s history, this webcast will detail Dodd-Frank’s statutory and regulatory framework, discuss its early and recent interpretations by the SEC Office of the Whistleblower and federal courts, analyze the statute’s intersection with the FCPA, and provide the participant with practical tips for navigating the minefield of whistleblower complaints.