Judy Romaine is a securities enforcement attorney with more than 30 years of experience representing public companies, broker-dealers, and their executives in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and state securities regulatory matters. Judy also conducts internal investigations for financial services firms and advises them on responding to regulatory sweeps and routine and cause examinations. In addition, she advises on the preparation of written supervisory and Compliance policies and procedures for SEC and FINRA registrants. Judy has also served as Chair of several broker-dealer FINRA Rule 4530(b) self-reporting forums and advises firms on the application of that Rule to their business activities.
Prior to joining Leichtman Law, Judy worked at two international law firms and held senior Legal and Compliance positions at several large investment banks, most recently as the Deputy General Counsel of J.P. Morgan Securities. In those roles, she provided advice on the review and storage of electronic communications, reporting on Forms BD/U4/U5 and FINRA Rule 4530, fingerprinting and performing background checks for associated persons, identifying, reporting, and resolving customer complaints, Regulation Best Interest, Section 16 short-swing profits, mandatory block leave, the application of FINRA’s gift rule to non-fungible tokens, and a variety of trade reporting rules. Significant enforcement representations that Judy handled involved allegations of insider trading, failure to supervise, and a variety of sales practice, financial, and operational rule violations. Judy also handled routine, cause, and sweep examinations concerning research disclosures, gifts and entertainment, possession or control requirements, know your customer, and registration obligations.
In addition, Judy has provided training to registered individuals on topics including Regulation Best Interest, customer complaints, Regulation SHO, Form U4/U5/BD reporting, and statutory disqualification. She also served as a member of SIFMA’s Compliance and Regulatory Policy Committee and worked on industry comment letters concerning the interpretation and implementation of Regulation Best Interest, SEC Rule 15c2-11 (fixed income quotation rule), and TRACE reporting.
Judy graduated summa cum laude from S.U.N.Y. Stony Brook with a degree in Psychology and cum laude from Fordham University School of Law where she was an editor of the Law Review.
Education
S.U.N.Y. Stony Brook University, B.A. Psychology (1988)
Fordham University, J.D. (1991)
Bar Admissions
U.S. Supreme Court (1996)
New York State Bar (1992)
U.S. District Court — Southern District of New York (1992)