DAVID S. PETRON is a partner in the Washington, D.C., office. Mr. Petron’s practice is focused primarily on government and internal investigations, particularly SEC enforcement matters. He has defended corporations, broker-dealers, investment advisers and individuals in SEC enforcement actions and handled related internal investigations. Mr. Petron has substantial experience with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, including conducting FCPA internal reviews, defending DOJ and SEC FCPA investigations, and counseling U.S. and non-U.S. clients on FCPA compliance. He has also represented accounting firms in investigations by the PCAOB. In addition, Mr. Petron has assisted with other white collar criminal investigations and investigations by congressional committees, as well as complex civil litigation matters.
Mr. Petron also works on general appellate matters, with a focus on First Amendment issues. He has been heavily involved in free speech cases challenging the FCC’s regulation of broadcast indecency, including litigation before the FCC and all levels of the federal courts. Mr. Petron has also been involved with litigation on a variety of church-state issues. Mr. Petron has briefed cases in the Supreme Court and a variety of federal circuit courts and personally argued cases before the D.C. Circuit and the D.C. Court of Appeals.
In addition, Mr. Petron has substantial experience with complex electronic discovery matters. He is a member of the firm’s Electronic Discovery Task Force.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Petron clerked for Judge Susan H. Black of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and Chief Judge D. Brooks Smith of the Western District of Pennsylvania. During the latter clerkship, he assisted Judge Smith with matters related to his nomination and ultimate confirmation to the Third Circuit. He graduated summa cum laude from Notre Dame Law School, where he served on the Law Review; he was also a dual-degree student in the Notre Dame Department of Philosophy, where he earned an M.A. and was admitted to candidacy for his Ph.D. Mr. Petron received his B.A., cum laude, from The George Washington University.
Representative Engagements
- Represented several multinational life sciences companies in FCPA investigations before the SEC and DOJ.
- Represented major accounting firm in investigations before the PCAOB.
- Fox Television Stations, Inc. v. FCC — Represented broadcaster in Second Circuit and Supreme Court cases challenging FCC’s regulation of broadcast indecency.
- SEC v. Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated — Represented broker-dealer in SEC investigation of e-mail retention and production issues.
- SEC v. Raytheon Company — Represented defense contractor in SEC investigation of accounting and disclosure issues.