To best serve our clients in today’s complex and highly regulated environment, our lawyers have the skills and experience to address the full range of threats, including:
- The scrutiny of regulators such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) and state boards of accountancy;
- The wide range of claims asserted in civil litigation, including federal securities claims and professional liability claims; and
- The increasingly complex implications of international and cross-border engagements.
Through the years, Sidley has earned recognition as a trusted adviser to each of the “Big Four” accounting firms, many of the next largest accounting firms and numerous professional services firms in the United States, the Asia Pacific region, Europe and Latin America.
Representative Work
Our team of more than 40 lawyers has handled numerous high-profile matters, including cases arising out of the Madoff scheme, the inability of Chinese accounting firms to produce audit workpapers directly to U.S. litigators, and alleged frauds at Enron, HealthSouth, New Century, Parmalat and Worldcom.
Our experience in the defense of accounting and professional services firms and their partners and employees includes trial victories in federal and state courts and before arbitration panels, administrative law judges of the SEC, hearing officers of the PCAOB and state regulatory adjudicators. In total, we have handled hundreds of matters in more than two-thirds of the 50 United States. We also remain dedicated, wherever possible, to resolving matters before our clients face unnecessary and unwanted publicity.
About Our Team
Members of Sidley’s Accountants and Professional Liability practice have been recognized as leading practitioners by numerous industry publications, including Chambers USA, The Legal 500, Best Lawyers, Benchmark Litigation and The National Law Journal. Our team also features many senior alumni from the SEC, including the former acting director of the SEC’s New York Regional Office, associate and assistant directors from the Division of Enforcement, and the chief corporate governance counsel from the Division of Corporation Finance. In addition, the team includes the former senior vice president, head of market regulation enforcement and litigation and the vice president and chief counsel of market regulation from FINRA.
