Katherine Goldstein Profiled in Hedge Fund Law Report

Akin Gump litigation partner Katherine Goldstein has been profiled in the Hedge Fund Law Report article “Former AUSA and Member of Insider Trading Task Force Joins Akin Gump in New York.” Goldstein, who joined Akin Gump in July (click here to learn more), spoke with the publication about her practice, her past work as co-chief of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force in the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York and the impact of the pandemic on securities enforcement. She also discussed her experience as a member of the Bharara Task Force on Insider Trading.

Goldstein, as the article reports, represents clients in investigations and enforcement proceedings brought by the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other regulators arising under the federal securities and commodities laws. As Co‑Chief of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force, she supervised roughly 20 senior prosecutors in connection with complex and high-profile white collar and securities matters, describing her time as a federal prosecutor as “a tremendous opportunity to learn and to sharpen decision-making and analytical skills.”

Speaking of her work with the Bharara Task Force, a group of leading experts brought together to develop proposals to update and improve the clarity of federal insider trading laws, Goldstein said there is “pretty widespread belief that the state of the law is in an unacceptable place and that there’s a lot of confusion, which creates too much potential for unfairness.” The group was led by former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara.

Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on enforcement, Goldstein told HFLR she expects the SEC will “keep a close eye on insider trading issues, as well as disclosures and investor fraud.” Looking ahead, she said she expects regulators “to continue working through the cases that were already in the pipeline but also expect[s] to see an increase in new matters in the pipeline as well.”