Gwendolyn Cooley, recent Chair of Attorneys General Antitrust Task Force, discusses state and D.C. AG antitrust enforcement. Using case-specific examples, she explains how state-level AGs often coordinate with federal antitrust authorities, and also independently bring cases of local interest. She also talks about instances where state-level enforcers take enforcement positions that differ from federal authorities. Finally, she comments on the prospects for future state and federal cooperation.

The podcast moderator was Don Allen Resnikoff of the Antitrust and Consumer Law Community.

Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar, its Board of Governors or co-sponsoring Communities and organizations.

Gaëlle Bastien, steering committee member of the D.C. Bar Early Career Lawyer Community, sits down with D.C. Bar President Sadina Montani, Partner at Crowell & Moring LLP. The two discuss law school misconceptions, imposter syndrome, and advice they wish they had known when starting their 1L years.

Register Here for our free Back to Law School Mixer on September 9 at the D.C. Bar Headquarters!

Want to "find your people" and get involved with the D.C. Bar? Join the Law Student Community today! Your membership will include programs and leadership opportunities tailored specifically for law students, a free professional headshot, and free or discounted access to Communities content and networking events.

Love podcasts? Want to host your own? Learn more and apply to host the D.C. Bar Law Student Community Podcast, Let's Brief It, HERE.

Want the chance to hone your leadership skills by working on a D.C. Bar steering committee with seasoned attorneys? Learn more about the Karen Hastie Williams Leadership Fellowship HERE.

Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar, its Board of Governors or co-sponsoring Communities and organizations.

In this episode of Season 2, A. Valerie Mirko, Partner at Armstrong Teasdale LLP and leader of the firm’s Securities Regulation and Litigation Practice, joins William Nelson, Director of Public Policy and Associate General Counsel at the Investment Adviser Association, for a timely conversation with Michelle Heisner, Partner at Baker McKenzie LLP and a member of the Firm's Global Corporate and Securities Practice Group.

With the SEC keeping law firms and GCs on their toes this summer, this episode dives into three key themes: tighter disclosure requirements, increased scrutiny on foreign issuers, and the ongoing uncertainty surrounding ESG regulations. One key takeaway: If you're advising issuers, now is the time to revisit your disclosure playbook. The SEC is signaling change, and companies that adapt early will be better positioned for what's ahead.

Tune in for key insights on how these developments are shaping the regulatory landscape

Past Episodes of this Series:

AI in the Investment Adviser Industry (7/16/25)

Harnessing AI: What Attorneys and Financial Industry Professionals Need to Know (6/18/25)

SEC Leadership, Crypto Policy, and FINRAs Regulatory Refresh (5/21/25)

New Leadership, New Priorities: Paul Atkins at the SEC (4/23/25)

How the New Administration and Congress Will Shape the SEC (3/26/25)

Reflecting on 30 years of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act (2/26/25)

Insights on SEC Transition and Policy Priorities with Pete Driscoll (2/5/25)

Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar, its Board of Governors or co-sponsoring Communities and organizations.

In the latest episode of the series, "Intersections: Energy and Environmental Issues in Law and Tech," Cathy Pagano of the Women's Bar of Association of D.C. (WBA) interviews Cindy McCabe, Director of Renewable Energy Programs at the Montgomery County Green Bank, located in Maryland. Cindy explains all about Green Banks, and she shares her office's efforts to accelerate energy efficiency, renewable energy, and resiliency investment in Montgomery County, MD. Cindy also discusses how this Green Bank got started and how others can work to start local Green Banks in their areas.

Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar, its Board of Governors or co-sponsoring Communities and organizations.

In this episode of Season 2, A. Valerie Mirko, Partner at Armstrong Teasdale LLP and leader of the firm’s Securities Regulation and Litigation Practice, joins William Nelson, Director of Public Policy and Associate General Counsel at the Investment Adviser Association, for a timely conversation with Kate Ring, Chief Compliance Officer at Stash Financial. Stash is a fintech platform serving over 1.3 million customers with $4.1 billion in assets under management (AUM) - on a mission to help everyday Americans invest and build better financial futures.

Building on our June episode regarding artificial intelligence (AI), this conversation examines how AI is reshaping the investment adviser industry—spotlighting key opportunities, emerging risks, and what effective oversight entails. A key takeaway: while AI has the potential to significantly boost efficiency, it must be carefully supervised to ensure it supports - not replaces - human judgment. The goal is AI-assisted human efficiency.

Kate shares practical insights from her experience overseeing compliance and risk across Stash’s diverse business lines, offering guidance for CCOs on how to effectively understand and supervise the use of AI tools. Her advice focuses on supporting responsible implementation that aligns with both business objectives and regulatory expectations.

In this episode of Season 2 of the Securities Regulation and Enforcement Series, A. Valerie Mirko, Partner at Armstrong Teasdale LLP and Leader of the firm’s Securities Regulation and Litigation Practice, and William Nelson, Director of Public Policy and Associate General Counsel at the Investment Adviser Association chat with Hollie Mason, Esq., Managing Director at Secretariat Advisors. Hollie is a former FINRA regulator and spent many years as an in-house lawyer for financial services firms. At Secretariat Advisors, Hollie assists broker-dealers and other market participants as an expert witness and investigative consultant in complex litigation matters. In this conversation, Hollie, Valerie and William chat about foundational aspects of using artificial intelligence (AI), including definitions, use cases and examples in litigation. A core part of the conversation in this episode is that AI requires a “case-by-case, cautionary approach” by firms – whether law firms, expert firms, or financial services industry firms – as both the technology and the legal landscape is rapidly changing. Hollie provides immediately actionable considerations, including how it is important for firms to understand the AI tools they are using and what these tools are being used for.

Past episodes of this series:

⁠⁠⁠Episode 1⁠⁠⁠ (5/22/24) [https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dcbar/episodes/Securities-Regulation-and-Enforcement-Series-Investor-Protection-in-2024-e2je2a6]

⁠⁠⁠Episode 2⁠⁠⁠ (6/5/2024) [https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dcbar/episodes/Securities-Regulation-and-Enforcement-Series-All-Things-Standards-of-Care-in-2024-e2k8u2m/a-abahg6m]

⁠⁠⁠Episode 3⁠⁠⁠ (7/24/2024) [https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dcbar/episodes/Securities-Regulation-and-Enforcement-Series-Developments-in-Insider-Trading-e2lk443/a-abdiehh]

⁠⁠Episode 4⁠⁠ (8/21/2024) [https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dcbar/episodes/Securities-Regulation-and-Enforcement-Series-The-SEC-Private-Funds-Rule--the-Fifth-Circuit-Decision-and-SEC-Rulemaking-Authority-e2mucdm]

⁠Episode 5⁠ (9/11/2024) [https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dcbar/episodes/Securities-Regulation-and-Enforcement-Series-Fireside-Chat-with-SEC-Investor-Advocate-Cristina-Martin-Firvida-e2o23db/a-abguokt]

Episode 6 (10/23/2024) [https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/dcbar/episodes/Securities-Regulation-and-Enforcement-Series-Off-Channel-Communications--A-State-of-the-Union-e2pqi6c/a-abj83g8]

Episode 7 (12/4/2024) [https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/dcbar/episodes/Securities-Regulation-and-Enforcement-Series-Impact-of-2025-Presidential-Transition-on-the-SEC-e2r7ivg]

Financial regulation expert Art Wilmarth calls on Congress to reject the proposed GENIUS Act’s misguided approach to regulating stablecoins. He would require all issuers and distributors of stablecoins to be FDIC-insured banks. The GENIUS Act would pose great dangers to our financial system by allowing nonbanks to issue stablecoins without the protections provided by federal deposit insurance and the regulations governing FDIC-insured banks. If enacted, the GENIUS Act would set the stage for future runs on stablecoins, which would likely trigger costly systemic financial crises and government bailouts.

An antitrust concern is that the GENIUS Act would allow Big Tech firms and others to acquire nonbank stablecoin issuers and use stablecoins to conduct a banking business. That outcome would severely undermine our longstanding policy of separating banking and commerce and would potentially enable Big Tech firms to dominate financial markets.

Professor Wilmarth's recent article on stablecoins and the GENIUS Act is available for free download at https://ssrn.com/abstract=5272859

The Second Chance Amendment Act of 2022, as enacted in March 2025, amends D.C.’s outdated record-sealing laws to align them with contemporary record relief laws in other states. Succinctly stated, the Act provides a comprehensive framework for expunging and sealing certain records. In doing so, it can help remove the stigma of past convictions and make it easier for eligible individuals to get a job, rent an apartment, or secure a loan—all while still ensuring public safety. Because navigating the Act’s eligibility requirements can be tricky, joining us to explain it all are D.C. Justice Lab’s founder and Executive Director, Patrice Sulton; and Policy Counsel, Nye Winslow, with host Robin Earnest from the Steering Committee of the DC Bar’s Criminal Law and Individual Rights Steering Committee.

Robin M. Earnest serves on the Steering Committee for the DC Bar’s Criminal Law and Individual Rights Community and received the Bar’s 2024 Lawyer of the Year Award for her Community service. Robin is also a member of the D.C. Court of Appeals Committee on Admissions; and she teaches a course on Litigation With the Federal Government as a Professional Lecturer at GW Law School. Robin founded The Earnest Law Firm and is a CJA Panel attorney with the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fourth and D.C. Circuits, as well as the D.C. Court of Appeals.

Patrice A. Sulton is the founder and executive director for DC Justice Lab–a team of law and policy experts researching, organizing, and advocating for large-scale changes to the District’s criminal legal system. She teaches Adjudicatory Criminal Procedure and Trial Advocacy as a Professional Lecturer at GW Law School and was awarded the Distinguished Adjunct Teaching Award in 2021. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Network of Victim Recovery of DC. Most recently, Patrice served on DC’s Criminal Code Reform Commission; the Police Reform Commission; and its Jails and Justice Task Force.

Nye Winslow is the Policy Counsel with the DC Justice Lab where he shapes policy campaigns and offers legal expertise on policy issues. Prior to joining DC Justice Lab Nye worked as a Legal Consultant at the NAACP’s Office of the General Counsel and focused on claims of racial discrimination in voting rights, policing, redistricting, and child welfare.