Fredric (Rick) Firestone represents corporations, financial institutions and individuals in investigations and enforcement proceedings by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Division of Enforcement, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) and state securities regulators. He also conducts internal investigations on behalf of management and boards of directors and counsels on corporate governance and compliance matters. In addition, Rick advises US-based companies doing business in international markets on anticorruption and compliance issues. He is the head of the Firm’s SEC Defense Group and co-chairs the Firm’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and International Anticorruption Group.
Previously, Rick was an associate director of the SEC Division of Enforcement, where he supervised complex investigations and enforcement actions and oversaw some of the most important and highest profile matters. He spearheaded the SEC’s investigation and settlements with multiple firms in connection with the collapse of the auction rate securities (ARS) market, which resulted in the return of more than $50 billion to investors. Rick was responsible for enforcement actions in the WorldCom and Enron matters and in all of the SEC’s major program areas. He received the Stanley Sporkin Award, the Division of Enforcement’s highest honor. Rick was also in private practice as a trial lawyer, and served as a judge advocate in the US Navy, where he tried numerous courts-martial, and was appellate defense counsel in espionage and capital murder cases.
Education
Washington University in St. Louis, JD, 1986
Washington University in St. Louis, BA, cum laude, 1982
Admissions
District of Columbia
Maryland
Partner | Washington, DC
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On the Subject / June 15, 2016
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