Laura S. Pruitt counsels broker-dealers, investment advisers, self-regulatory organizations and other market participants on securities law and market regulation issues, with particular emphasis on:
- Broker-dealer registration and compliance issues
- Trading rules
- Alternative Trading Systems
- Derivatives
- Investment adviser regulation
- Transfer agent rules
- Anti-money laundering rules
Ms. Pruitt also represents a variety of clients before the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and self-regulating organizations (SROs) in connection with regulatory investigations and enforcement actions, and has conducted independent compliance reviews in connection with the settlement of several enforcement actions.
Chambers USA - America's Leading Lawyers for Business has ranked her in Financial Services Regulation: Broker Dealer (Compliance) in the District of Columbia and nationwide.
Publications
Ms. Pruitt has published articles on such diverse topics as Regulation NMS, changes to the SEC's proxy rules, Internet portals, and the SEC's rulemaking pursuant to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. Some of her other publications include:
"Brokers, Dealers and 'Finders'," (author) in PLI Broker Dealer Regulation Treatise, C. Kirsch, ed. (2011)
Speeches and Presentations
Ms. Pruitt is a frequent speaker on industry conference panels.
While at the SEC, Ms. Pruitt was a frequent speaker on panels discussing broker-dealer registration and soft dollars issues.
Previous Experience
Ms. Pruitt joined Schiff Hardin in 2001 from the SEC, where she had served since 1994 as Senior Counsel in the Office of the General Counsel and then Special Counsel in the Division of Market Regulation (now the Division of Trading and Markets).
As Special Counsel in the Chief Counsel's Office in Market Regulation from 1998 to 2001, she focused on issues surrounding the distinctions between "finders" and broker-dealers, the use of Internet portals, the SEC's penny stock rules, soft dollars, and over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives dealers. She also worked on projects concerning SRO arbitration rules and procedures, transfer agent regulation, and dividend reinvestment plan administration.
As Senior Counsel in the General Counsel's Office at the SEC from 1996 through 1997, Ms. Pruitt worked on projects concerning both Commission enforcement actions (including insider trading) and rulemaking proposals, including those relating to Regulation S, Rule 144, and shareholder proposals.
From 1994 to 1996, she was a Senior Counsel in the General Litigation and Administrative Practice group of the General Counsel's Office, where she primarily represented the SEC and its employees in actions filed against them in federal courts, at both the district and appellate court levels, throughout the country.
Earlier in her legal career, she was an associate with a New York-based firm from 1987 to 1994. As a litigator at that firm, her primary areas of practice were:
- Complex securities litigation, including significant securities class action litigation
- Antitrust matters, including Hart-Scott-Rodino filings, and representation of clients in Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigations
- Unfair competition/trademark litigation
Awards and Honors
Leading Lawyer - Financial Services Regulation: Broker Dealer – Compliance (Nationwide), Chambers USA - America's Leading Lawyers for Business (2011-2010)