I. Introduction: Themes and Notable Developments

A. A New Administration Leverages a Traditional Playbook

With the confirmation of Chair Gary Gensler in April and the appointment of Enforcement Division Director Gurbir Grewal in June, the latter half of 2021 provided greater insight into the ways in which heightened enforcement under this Administration will impact market participants and the implications for clients going forward. In speeches in the latter half of 2021, Director Grewal and Chair Gensler outlined their enforcement priorities. While many of their themes echo the messages of prior Democratic administrations, certain points this Commission has chosen to emphasize could have outsized impact on public companies, SEC-registered firms and their executives and outside professionals.

• Remedies – Director Grewal expressed the intention to escalate the sanctions the Commission would demand in both negotiated resolutions and litigated enforcement actions. While the remedies are not new, the focus on expanding the magnitude and frequency of sanctions reflects not just desire to increase the amount of particular sanctions, but also the breadth of parties and circumstances that would trigger a demand for certain sanctions.
  • Penalties – Picking up on a theme articulated by then-Acting Chair Caroline Crenshaw earlier this year (and discussed in our Mid-Year Alert [link: https://www.gibsondunn.com/2021-mid-year-securities-enforcement-update/]), Director Grewal warned of...

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