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Overview
Jordan A. Thomas concentrates his practice on investigating and prosecuting securities fraud on behalf of whistleblowers and institutional clients. As Chair of the Firm’s Whistleblower Representation practice, Jordan protects and advocates for whistleblowers throughout the world who have information about possible violations of the federal securities laws. He created, and serves as the editor for, , 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.
A longtime public servant and seasoned trial lawyer, Jordan 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, including leading fact-finding visits to other federal agencies with whistleblower programs, drafting the proposed legislation and implementing rules and briefing House and Senate staffs on the proposed legislation. He is also the principal architect and first National Coordinator of the Commission’s Cooperation Program, an initiative designed to facilitate and incentivize individuals and companies to self-report securities violations and participate in its investigations and related enforcement actions. In recognition of his important contributions to these national initiatives, while at the SEC, Jordan was a recipient of the Arthur Mathews Award, which recognizes “sustained demonstrated creativity in applying the federal securities laws for the benefit of investors,” and, on two occasions, the Law and Policy Award.
Throughout his tenure at the SEC, Jordan was assigned to many of its highest-profile matters such as those involving Enron, Fannie Mae, UBS, and Citigroup. He successfully investigated, litigated and supervised a wide variety of enforcement matters involving violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, issuer accounting fraud and other disclosure violations, audit failures, insider trading, market manipulations, offering frauds, and broker-dealer, investment adviser and investment company violations. His cases resulted in monetary relief for harmed investors in excess of $35 billion.
Prior to joining the Commission, Jordan was a Trial Attorney at the Department of Justice, where he specialized in complex financial services litigation involving the FDIC and Office of Thrift Supervision. He began his legal career as a Navy Judge Advocate on active duty and continues to serve as a senior officer in its Reserve Law Program. Earlier, Jordan worked as a stockbroker.
Jordan is a member of the City Bar Fund, which oversees the City Bar Justice Center, the pro bono affiliate of the New York City Bar Association.
Throughout his career, Jordan has received numerous awards and honors. In 2012, he was named a Legal Rebel by the American Bar Association Journal in recognition of his trailblazing efforts in the legal field. Ethisphere Institute, an internationally recognized think tank, selected Jordan as a Rising Star in its listing of , which recognizes leading practitioners in the world of corporate ethics and compliance. While at the SEC, Jordan received four Chairman’s Awards, four Division Director’s Awards and a Letter of Commendation from the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. He is also a decorated military officer, who has twice been awarded the Rear Admiral Hugh H. Howell Award of Excellence—the highest award the Navy can bestow upon a reserve judge advocate. Jordan has received an AV Preeminent rating, the highest attorney rating available, from the publishers of the Martindale-Hubbell legal directory.
Jordan is a nationally sought after writer, speaker and media commentator on securities enforcement, corporate ethics, and whistleblower issues.
Education
Southwestern Law School
J.D., 1995
Bennington College
B.A., 1992
In The News
- Law360, Employer Scare Tactics May Chill SEC Whistleblower Program (05/10/2013)
- New York Times, Hazy Future for Thriving S.E.C. Whistle-Blower Effort (04/23/2013)
- Law360, Hedge Fund Snitches Seek SEC Riches (04/05/2013)
- HedgeWeek, More Than a Third of Hedge Fund Professionals Feel Pressured to Break Rules in Pursuit of Alpha (04/04/2013)
- AdvisorOne, Hedge Fund Workers’ Shameful Secret: Rulebreaking (04/04/2013)
- Forbes, Corruption at Hedge Funds Even More Rampant Than You Think, Study Shows (04/03/2013)
- Institutional Investor's Alpha, Hanky Panky By Hedge Funds Is No Secret, Study Says (04/03/2013)
- Wall Street Journal, Half of Hedge Funds Think Their Competitors Are Cheating (04/02/2013)
- The Telegraph, One in Three Hedge Fund Workers Admits to Knowing About Rule-Breaking, Says US Survey (04/02/2013)
- Wall Street Journal's Daily Wrap, Daily Wrap December 11, 2012 Podcast (12/11/2012)
- Corporate Counsel, SEC Whistleblower Goes Public with Deutsche Bank Allegations (12/07/2012)
- CNBC's Squawk Box, Blowing the Whistle on Wall Street's Big Bank (12/06/2012)
- FinansWatch, Deutsche Bank Hid Billions During the Financial Crisis (12/06/2012)
- Advisor.ca, Multi-billion Dollar Violations Uncovered at Deutsche Bank (12/06/2012)
- Financial Times, Deutsche Hid Up to $12bn Losses, Say Staff (12/05/2012)
- Corporate Crime Reporter, Deutsche Bank Whistleblower Goes to the SEC (12/05/2012)
- Financial News, UK Tops Whistleblower Claims To SEC (11/22/2012)
- Daily Business Review, SEC Gets More Than 3,000 Whistle-Blower Tips (11/19/2012)
- New Jersey Law Journal, More Than 3,000 Whistleblower Tips Hit SEC in First Year of Dodd-Frank (11/19/2012)
- Law360, $1B BofA Mortgage Suit May Usher Broad Crackdown On Banks (10/24/2012)
- Boardmember.com, Talking Points: "Whistleblowers are Wanted and Valued" (10/16/2012)
- Reuters, Record $104 Million Reward Boosts Whistleblowing on Tax Cheats (10/03/2012)
- New York Times, A Legal Circle Reaches Deep to Aid Obama (10/01/2012)
- ABA Journal, Jordan Thomas Wrote the Rules on—and Represents—Whistleblowers (09/27/2012)
- Reuters, SEC Whistleblower Program Stricter Than IRS Bounty Which Paid $104 Million To Felon, Former Official Says (09/12/2012)
- Law360, Jailed UBS Tax Whistleblower Gets $104M IRS Award (09/11/2012)
- American Banker, A Sad State of Bank Industry Ethics (09/01/2012)
- Wall Street Lawyer, SEC’s Whistleblower Rules at One Year - ”Not Seeing Sky Falling” (09/01/2012)
- Risk.net, Anonymity For Whistleblowers May Undermine Programme (08/24/2012)
- Seattle Times, SEC Whistle-Blower Program Is Starting To Pay Off (08/23/2012)
- Los Angeles Times, SEC Whistle-Blower Program Starts Paying Off For Agency, Tipsters (08/22/2012)
- Corporate Counsel, New Ombudsman to Set the Tone for Whistleblowers at DOJ (08/14/2012)
- Connecticut News 12, Could You Blow The Whistle? (08/01/2012)
- Trade Magazine, Whistleblowers "Essential" to Protect Client Funds, Says Former SEC Chief (07/25/2012)
- U.S. News & World Report, Two Years After Dodd-Frank, Has Wall Street Changed? (07/20/2012)
- Risk.net, Study Reinforces Warnings of Toxic Banking Culture (07/12/2012)
- HedgeFund Insight, How Effective Are The FSA/SFO And SEC At Handling Misconduct? (07/12/2012)
- Forbes, One in Four Finance Professionals Would Do This to Get an Edge (Hint: It’s Not a Good Thing) (07/11/2012)
- Yahoo India, 24pc of Wall Street Execs Consider Unethical Conduct 'Key to Success' (07/11/2012)
- CTPost.com, CFA and Sacred Heart Take on Ethics Lapse on Wall Street (07/11/2012)
- AFP, Financial Executives Say Success Depends on Unethical Actions, Survey Finds (07/11/2012)
- CNBC, Bend the Rules to Succeed? (07/10/2012)
- Wall Street Journal, Financial Industry Survey: 16% Would Commit Insider Trading (07/10/2012)
- Huffington Post Business, Quarter of Wall Street Executives See Wrongdoing as Key to Success: Survey (07/10/2012)
- Los Angeles Times, Many on Wall Street Say Greed Isn’t Just Good- It’s Necessary (07/10/2012)
- The Telegraph, Dodgy Deals 'Key to Wall St Success' (07/10/2012)
- Daily News, Survey of Senior Executives in Britain and U.S. Found 24 Percent Consider Unethical or Illegal Conduct Needed for Success in the Financial World (07/10/2012)
- Reuters, Many Wall St Execs say Wrongdoing is Necessary - Survey (07/10/2012)
- DealBook, Wall Street Short on Ethics, Report Says(07/10/2012)
- Law360, Some Finance Pros Say Fraud is Necessary for Success (07/10/2012)
- Financial News, Survey Casts Fresh Doubt Over City’s Integrity (07/10/2012)
- Mail Online, A Quarter of Wall Street Executives See Wrongdoing as Key to Success (and 16% Said They’d Commit Insider Trading if They Could Get Away With It) (07/10/2012)
- CNBC, Many Wall Street Executives say Wrongdoing is Necessary: Survey (07/10/2012)
- Asian News International (ANI), 24pc of Wall Street Execs Consider Unethical Conduct 'Key to Success' (07/10/2012)
- HFMWeek, SEC’s AM Enforcement Unit Close to Full Capacity (06/07/2012)
- FT Adviser, US Regulator Says Large Providers May Hold Sway with FSA (06/06/2012)
- Financial News, Whistleblowers Extend Regulators’ Reach (06/04/2012)
- Private Equity News, More Whistleblowers Will Emerge, Says Law Expert (06/04/2012)
- Law360, Rise in Whistleblower Protections Inspires New Firm Practices (06/01/2012)
- Epoch Times, Combating Crime in the Workplace (01/17/2012)
- Fox Business News, Will Whistleblower Rules Help SEC Investigations? (01/13/2012)
- Human Resource Executive Online, To Blow the Whistle -- or Not (01/12/2012)
- Compliance Week, Study: Whistleblowers Want Anonymity, Monetary Rewards (01/10/2012)
- Wall Street Journal (blog), Survey Sees Less Misconduct But More Reporting And Retaliation
(01/05/2012)
- FINS Finance, How Not to Confront Your Boss (12/27/2011)
- Bloomberg Brief, SEC May Exceed Legal Authority, Lawyers Say (12/23/2011)
- Truthout, Would You Blow the Whistle? Many Say Yes, but Perils Abound (12/22/2011)
- Investment News, Mary Schapiro: Massive Workload, Meager Budget (12/18/2011)
- Vancouver Sun, Majority of Americans Would Blow Whistle (12/17/2011)
- Professional Pensions, Britons Third in SEC Whistleblower League Table (12/14/2011)
- Investment Week, Britons Rank Second in US Whistleblowing League (12/14/2011)
- Mail Online, Bosses beware: 75% of Workers Say They're Ready to Expose Law-breaking Managers (12/13/2011)
- Inside Counsel, 34% of Employees Have Express Knowledge of Workplace Misconduct (12/13/2011)
- Wall Street Journal (blog), Would-Be Whistleblowers Unaware Of SEC Bounty Program, Survey Says (12/13/2011)
- Reuters, Majority of Americans Would Blow Whistle: Poll (12/13/2011)
- Time, Would You Rat Out Your Boss? Majority of Americans Say Yes - For a Price (12/13/2011)
- MSN, Most Would Blow the Whistle if They Could Get a Payout (12/12/2011)
- Investment News, 'Enforcement Wave' Heading for Advisers: Ex-SEC Official (12/04/2011)
- Bloomberg Law TV, The SEC Whistleblower Program’s Annual Report (12/01/2011)
- Financial Times, Enron's Fall Raised The Bar in Regulation (12/01/2011)
- Progressive Radio Network, The Development of the SEC Whistleblower Program and its 2011 Annual Report (11/22/2011)
- Operational Risk & Regulation, SEC Whistleblowing Project Pulls in Seven Tips a Day (11/18/2011)
- HR Magazine, Europeans Lead Foreigners in Reporting US Financial Crime (11/18/2011)
- Corporate Counsel, SEC Reports Record Year for Fraud Enforcements, Expects More in 2012
(11/17/2011)
- Law360, SEC Report Shows Slow Start To Whistleblower Program (11/16/2011)
- Wall Street Journal, SEC Receives 334 Tips In First Seven Weeks Of Whistleblower Program (11/16/2011)
- Wall Street Journal, After Tip, The Claim For Reward (11/16/2011)
- Risk.net, UK Fraud Whistleblowers Need Bounties, Lawyers Say (11/16/2011)
- GFS, News Building a Culture of Integrity: Whistleblowing in the UK (10/13/2011)
- Corporate Crime Reporter, Jordan Thomas Sets Up SEC Whistleblower Shop at Labaton (08/29/2011)
- Private Equity Manager (PE Manager), SEC Attorney Leaves to Launch Whistleblower Practice
(07/13/2011)
- AmLaw Litigation Daily, Q&A with Jordan A. Thomas, Outgoing SEC Enforcement Lawyer and Labaton Sucharow's New Whistleblower Practice Chief (07/13/2011)
- Financial Fraud Law, SEC Attorney Launches Whistleblower Practice at Labaton Sucharow (07/13/2011)
- Wall Street Journal Online, SEC Lawyer Leaves to Help Whistleblowers (07/12/2011)
- Thomson Reuters News & Insight, CAREER TRACKER: Lawyers on the Move (07/12/2011)
- Bloomberg, Labaton Sucharow Adds Ex-SEC Lawyer Thomas to Start Whistleblower Practice
(07/12/2011)
Other Notable Publications—Jordan has also been quoted by the following media outlets:
- Domestic: Advanced Trading, Advisor One, Alternet, Bloomberg Business Week, Business Insider, Business Insurance, Chicago Tribune, Cloud Computing Journal, Consortium News, Daily News, Digital Journal, EIN News, FINalternatives, Financial Advisor, GAP-Government Accountability Project, HR Magazine, InvestorPoint.com, iStockAnalyst.com, Mercurynews.com, Money News, News Daily, Newsday, Palm Beach Times, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Press Enterprise, Sarbanes Oxley on Ulitzer, SYS-CON Media,TheStreet, Whistle Watch, and Yahoo Finance News.
- International: Ad Hoc News, AFP, AsiaNet, AsiaOne, Biz Daily, Business Live, Business Standard, Canadian Business, Canadian HR Reporter, Courier Mail, Director of Finance Online, direktbroker.de, Economic Times, Fin24, Financial News, Financial Times Adviser, FinanzNachrichten.de, France 24 International News, GlobeAdvisor.com, HedgeFund Insight, Huffington Post - United Kingdom, International Business Times, Moneylife, Reuters (Canada, India, UK), Risk.net, Telegraph, Webindia123.com.
Digital Library
- Wall Street Journal's Daily Wrap, Daily Wrap December 11, 2012 Podcast (12/11/2012)
- CNBC's Squawk Box, Blowing the Whistle on Wall Street's Big Bank (12/06/2012)
- Thomson Reuters, Whistleblowing in the Corporate World Series, Part VI: Whistleblowing and the Corporate Insider Webinar (11/06/2012)
- Thomson Reuters, Whistleblowing in the Corporate World Series, Part V: Corporate Lawyers as Whistleblowers Webinar (10/23/2012)
- Thomson Reuters, Whistleblowing in the Corporate World Series, Part IV: An Insider’s Guide to the SEC Enforcement Process Webinar (10/09/2012)
- Thomson Reuters, Whistleblowing in the Corporate World Series, Part III: Accountants as Whistleblowers: Newly Empowered to Make Ethical Reporting Choices Webinar (09/17/2012)
- Thomson Reuters, Whistleblowing in the Corporate World Series, Part II: Securities Law Primer Webinar (09/11/2012)
- Thomson Reuters, Whistleblowing in the Corporate World Series, Part I: The Advent of the SEC Whistleblower Program Webinar (08/14/2012)
- Connecticut News 12, Could You Blow The Whistle? (08/01/2012)
- CNBC, Bend the Rules to Succeed? (07/10/2012)
- TheCorporateCounsel.net, Inside Track with Broc: Jordan Thomas on Whistleblower Advocacy
(04/19/2012)
Special Mentions
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Jordan received the following distinctions and awards during his tenure at the agency:
- Arthur F. Mathews Award
- Chairman’s Law and Policy Award (on two occasions)
- Chairman’s Equal Opportunity Award
- Division Director’s Award (on four occasions)
- Letter of Commendation from the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia
- U.S. Navy, Jordan is a decorated military officer, who has twice been awarded the Rear Admiral Hugh H. Howell Award of Excellence—the highest award the Navy can bestow upon a reserve judge advocate.
Published & Presented
Published
- FundFire, Hedge Funds Are Losing Investors' Trust (04/19/2013)
- Legal Intelligencer, When Can a Corporation's Lawyer Blow the Whistle? (09/05/2012)
- Corporate Counsel, When Can a Corporation's Lawyer Blow the Whistle? (07/02/2012)
- Corporate Counsel, Balancing Conscience and Confidentiality for Attorney Whistleblowers (06/06/2012)
- Accounting Today, Blowing the Whistle Without Fear (05/01/2012)
- Law360, Approaching Attorney Whistleblowing Post Dodd-Frank (04/11/2012)
- American Lawyer Supplement: Compliance, Combating Misconduct (Spring 2012)
- Pensions & Investments, Pension Funds as Whistleblowers - Internal Compliance and Portfolio Companies Need Scrutiny (11/28/2011)
- AssetSearchBlog.com, The SEC Whistleblower Program: A Revolution in Law Enforcement?
(11/17/2011)
- HRmagazine.co.uk, Whistleblowers and Corporate Misconduct: New Challenges and New Opportunities for HR Directors (11/14/2011)
- BNA Daily Labor Report, Advocacy & Counsel for the SEC Whistleblower: A Primer for Employment Lawyers (10/11/2011)
Presented
- Corporate Crime Reporter, Neither Admit Nor Deny: Corporate Crime in the Age of Deferred Prosecutions, Consent Decrees, Whistleblowers & Monitors (05/03/2013)
- Practicing Law Institute (PLI), Enforcement 2013: Perspectives from Government Agencies (04/26/2013)
- Cornell Law School, Whistleblower Law: Involving Private Citizens in Public Law Enforcement (04/22/2013)
- Thomson Reuters, HedgeWorld East 2013 (04/04/2013)
- American Bar Association (ABA), Mid-winter Meeting (03/23/2013)
- State Bar of Georgia, Georgia’s New 2012 False Claims Act, and Update on Qui Tam, SEC, and IRS Whistleblower Claims (03/20/2013)
- North Carolina Bar Association (Business Law Section), Annual Meeting (02/22/2013)
- Boston Bar Association, The New Whistleblower Regime Under Dodd-Frank: The First 18 Months (01/14/2013)
- New York City Bar Association/ District of Columbia Bar, SEC Whistleblower Initiative: Update & Perspective (01/10/2013)
- Widener University School of Law, Masters Class Series on Whistleblowing (01/08/2013)
- Thomson Reuters, 2012 Corporate Whistleblowing Forum (12/04/2012)
- Thomson Reuters, Whistleblowing in the Corporate World Series, Part VI: Whistleblowing and the Corporate Insider Webinar (11/06/2012)
- Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association (PIABA), Annual Meeting (10/26/2012)
- Dow Jones, Reporting Misconduct: Encouraging Whistleblowers To Come Forward (10/24/2012)
- Thomson Reuters, Whistleblowing in the Corporate World Series, Part V: Corporate Lawyers as Whistleblowers Webinar (10/23/2012)
- American Society of Women Accountants, Annual Conference (10/22/2012)
- Society of Corporate Compliance & Ethics, 11th Annual Compliance & Ethics Institute Conference
(10/15/2012)
- Thomson Reuters, Whistleblowing in the Corporate World Series, Part IV: An Insider’s Guide to the SEC Enforcement Process Webinar (10/09/2012)
- Corporate Responsibility Magazine, Commit! Forum (10/03/2012)
- New York City Bar Association, The Ins & Outs of Recovering Assets Via Whistleblowers & Other Tipsters (09/27/2012)
- Thomson Reuters, Whistleblowing in the Corporate World Series, Part III: Accountants as Whistleblowers: Newly Empowered to Make Ethical Reporting Choices Webinar (09/17/2012)
- National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA)—Florida Chapter, Annual Conference (09/14/2012)
- Thomson Reuters, Whistleblowing in the Corporate World Series, Part II: Securities Law Primer Webinar (09/11/2012)
- Thomson Reuters, Whistleblowing in the Corporate World Series, Part I: The Advent of the SEC Whistleblower Program Webinar (08/14/2012)
- Ethics Resource Center (ERC) Ethics Resource Center Fellows Semi-Annual Meeting (07/12/2012)
- Terrapinn, The Trading Show (06/27/2012)
- Practicing Law Institute (PLI), Commencing the Internal Investigation: Considerations at the Outset (06/12/2012)
- InvestoRegulation, SEC Regulation Outside the United States (London) (05/31/2012)
- National Association of Active Investment Managers (NAAIM), 2012 Uncommon Knowledge Conference (05/07/2012)
- National Employment Lawyers Association—Georgia Chapter, Dodd-Frank Seminar (05/07/2012)
- New York University, Stern School of Business, Guest Lecture on Corporate Governance and Whistleblowing (04/24/2012)
- American Accounting Association—Forensic and Investigative Accounting Section, Mid-Year Conference (03/30/2012)
- Practicing Law Institute (PLI), Understanding Employment Law 2012 (03/30/2012)
- National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA)—Illinois Chapter, CLE Luncheon (03/29/2012)
- American Bar Association, 2012 National Conference on Equal Employment Opportunity Law (03/22/2012)
- Alliance of Alternative Asset Professionals, Speaker Series - A Changing Regulatory Environment (03/20/2012)
- Investment Adviser Watch (IA Watch), 14th Annual IA Compliance Best Practices Summit (03/16/2012)
- Worldwide Business Research, Trade Tech (03/08/2012)
- George Washington University's Center for Law, Economics and Finance (C-LEAF) and Institute for Law and Economic Policy (ILEP), Striking the Right Balance: Investor and Consumer Protection in the New Financial Marketplace (03/02/2012)
- Samuel and Ronnie Heyman Center on Corporate Governance, Should You Whistle? An Ethical Dilemma for Corporate Attorneys under Dodd-Frank (02/28/2012)
- National Employment Lawyers Association—Pennsylvania Chapter, NELA Night (02/09/2012)
- InvestoRegulation, Hedge Fund Regulation (London) (01/25/2012)
- Brooklyn Law School, Business Law Association Luncheon (11/21/2011)
- Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund, SEC Whistleblower Boot Camp (11/16/2011)
- Thomson Reuters, The Bribery Act/FCPA Enforcement 2012 Briefing (11/10/2011)
- Global Strategic Management Institute (GSMI), Governance, Risk Management and Compliance Summit (11/03/2011)
- Infoline, 2011 EU & UK Practitioners Summit on Banking Regulation 2011 (10/13/2011)
- Ethics and Compliance Officer Association's (ECOA), 19th Annual Ethics & Compliance Conference (09/22/2011)
- Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC), Annual Meeting (10/26/2010)
- Securities and Exchange Commission, 24th Annual Joint Regulatory Conference (07/07/2010)
- Knowledge Congress, Executing Internal Investigations for Compliance Programs (04/07/2010)
- Boston Bar Association, Securities Fraud 2010:The "New Deal" at the SEC (04/6/2010)
Admissions
1995, New Mexico
1996, District of Columbia
2012, New York
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