Our panel of distinguished attorneys provided multiple perspectives on this controversial and evolving area of law and recent developments in whistleblower law.

Michael M. Farhang is a former federal prosecutor and a partner in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.  He specializes in the defense of companies, directors, and executives in DOJ and SEC investigations and in shareholder class actions, derivative suits and other commercial litigation.  Mr. Farhang is a frequent speaker and published author on a variety of white collar and securities litigation issues and regularly presents on these topics at national conferences and through webcasts.  Mr. Farhang has a diverse white collar criminal and civil litigation practice.  In the white collar area, he regularly represents corporate and individual clients in DOJ and SEC investigations and has specific subspecialties in both Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) matters and Latin American corporate investigations.

Aaron M. May is a founding partner of Huang Ybarra Singer & May LLP. Mr. May focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation, white collar criminal defense, and internal corporate investigations. Prior to forming Huang Ybarra Singer & May LLP, Mr. May was an Assistant United States Attorney in Los Angeles.  In that capacity, he led some of the largest fraud investigations in the region and prosecuted individuals and corporations for sophisticated federal financial crimes, including health care fraud, false claims, securities violations, criminal trademark and counterfeiting, tax violations, money laundering, and loan fraud.  At the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he held several leadership positions, including the office’s Securities Fraud Coordinator, Financial Institution Fraud Coordinator, and Procurement Fraud Coordinator.

Jordan A. Thomas is a partner at the firm of Labaton Sucharow where he concentrates his practice on investigating and prosecuting securities fraud on behalf of whistleblowers and institutional clients. He created, and serves as the editor for, www.secwhistlebloweradvocate.com, a website dedicated to helping responsible organizations establish a culture of integrity and courageous whistleblowers to report possible securities violations-without personal or professional regrets. Mr. Thomas joined Labaton Sucharow from the Securities and Exchange Commission where he served as an Assistant Director and, previously, as an Assistant Chief Litigation Counsel in the Division of Enforcement. He had a leadership role in the development of the SEC Whistleblower Program.

This was a private event open to:
Members of the California State Bar; UCLA Students, Faculty and Invited Guests

UCLA School of Law is a State Bar of California approved MCLE provider.  This activity qualified for 1 hour of general MCLE Credit.

CLE Materials:

Ethics Resource Center Survey
SEC Whistleblower Report to Congress
SEC Whistleblower Press Release
SEC: Interpretation of SEC Whistleblower Rules