Luke T. Cadigan

Luke Cadigan is an experienced trial attorney and litigator. Mr. Cadigan concentrates his practice on securities enforcement matters, internal investigations, regulatory compliance, and related litigation.

Professional Background
Prior to joining K&L Gates, Mr. Cadigan was an Assistant Director in the Enforcement Division of the Securities and Exchange Commission, serving that role in both the Boston Regional Office and in the SEC’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Unit. He managed investigations conducted by staff attorneys and accountants into, among other things, matters relating to investment advisers, broker-dealers, insider trading, accounting fraud, offering fraud, and whistleblower complaints. Mr. Cadigan also oversaw investigations into potential FCPA violations and, serving as a member of the agency’s Cross Border Working Group, he supervised investigations into the accounting practices of Chinese and other foreign companies trading on U.S. markets.

Before becoming an Assistant Director, Mr. Cadigan spent more than seven years as Senior Trial Counsel at the SEC. In that role, he investigated and litigated dozens of high-profile matters. As lead counsel, he also successfully tried several complex matters, both in federal court and the SEC’s administrative forum. These matters related to, among other things, allegations of insider trading by a hedge fund employee, accounting fraud, a pay-to-play scheme by a former state senate majority leader, fraud by an investment adviser, and fraud by a broker-dealer (resulting in then the largest penalty awarded in an SEC administrative proceeding). He was a recipient of the Chairman’s Award for Excellence in 2002 and 2007 and the Division of Enforcement Director’s Award in 2007 and 2008.

Before joining the SEC, Mr. Cadigan was a senior associate at another law firm in Boston, focusing his practice on government enforcement and complex commercial litigation. He also served as a law clerk for the Honorable Edward F. Harrington of the United States District Court in Massachusetts and as a Special Assistant District Attorney in Middlesex County, Massachusetts.

Speaking Engagements

• The New Whistleblower Regime Under Dodd-Frank: The First 18 Months” (panelist), Boston Bar Association CLE, Boston, Massachusetts, January 14, 2013
• “Looking Forward: Anticipating SEC and FINRA Exam Priorities for 2013” (panelist), K&L Gates, Boston, Massachusetts, November 26, 2012
• “SEC Asset Management Unit, SEC Focus Points, and Developments in Enforcement,” K&L Gates Investment Management Training Program, Boston, Massachusetts, November 2, 2012
• “Internal Reports of Violations: How to Encourage and Handle Them” (panelist), Agenda Exchange Webinar on Whistleblowers, October 18, 2012
• “SEC Enforcement Issues” (panelist), CPE Revenue Recognition Conference 2012, Boston Massachusetts, June 22, 2012
• “Anticorruption Law Developments” (panelist), 2012 AICPA International Business Conference, Washington, DC, June 11, 2012
• “Regulatory Update” (panelist), ACS Financial Accounting & Reporting Update Conference, Boston, Massachusetts, June 12, 2012
• “Securities Fraud 2012: Recent Developments in Enforcement and How SEC Administrative Trials May Alter the Landscape” (panelist), Boston Bar Association, Boston, Massachusetts, May 16, 2012
• “What Investment Advisors Need to Know about the SEC's New Enforcement and Exam Initiatives,” K&L Gates Webinar, February 28, 2012
• “An Insider's Look at the SEC: How Changes in the Enforcement Division Will Impact Your Business,” Association of Corporate Counsel (Northeast Chapter), February 9, 2012
• “Dodd-Frank’s Whistleblower Provisions: Impacts on FCPA Compliance Efforts,” K&L Gates Webinar, October 2011
• “Introduction to SEC Investigations” (panelist), Boston Bar Association, Boston, Massachusetts, September 14, 2011
• “Litigation Considerations” (panelist), 2011 SEC FCPA Boot Camp, SEC Headquarters, Washington, D.C., June 27-29, 2011
• “SEC Enforcement Update” (panelist), 2011 CPE Conference on Revenue Recognition: Current Industry Trends & Strategies in Financial Reporting, Boston, Massachusetts, June 24, 2011
• “Trends in FCPA Enforcement” and “Whistleblowers” (panelist), CFO Ethics summit, Wellesley, Massachusetts, June 23, 2011
• “The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act: Insights and Issues” (panelist), 2011 AICPA IBC Conference, New York, New York, June 15, 2011
• “SEC & Regulatory Update” (panelist), ACS Financial Accounting & Reporting Update Conference, Boston, Massachusetts, June 9-10, 2011
• “Securities Enforcement: What’s Up at the SEC – Whistleblowing, Insider Trading and the FCPA” (panelist on FCPA panel), Boston Bar Association, Boston, Massachusetts, April 6, 2011
• “SEC Enforcement Update” (speaker), Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals, Hartford, Connecticut, March 2011
• “Litigation Considerations” (panelist), 2010 SEC FCPA Boot Camp, SEC Headquarters, Washington, D.C., July 26-28, 2010
• “The SEC and the Profession” (panelist), Accountant’s Liability: Litigation and Issues in the Financial Crisis, ALI-ABA, Boston, Massachusetts, July 8, 2010

Achievements

• Massachusetts Super Lawyer 2012
• New England’s Top Rated Lawyers (ALM) 2012
• AV Preeminent (Martindale Hubbell Lawyer Ratings) 2012