Jonathan Forman
Jonno Forman is a partner in BakerHostetler's New York office with a national practice. Jonno is an experienced litigator and compliance attorney who guides financial services and emerging technology clients through ever-changing regulations relating to securities, money transmission, data privacy, cybersecurity and information security. As co-leader of the firm’s Financial Services Regulatory and Compliance team, Jonno advises clients at the intersection of technology and financial services, focusing on new investment, payment and blockchain products and services, including cryptocurrencies, digital assets, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) and Web 3.0 decentralized applications (DApps and DeFi).
Over the years, Jonno has worked with hedge fund and private equity fund managers, investment advisers, multi-family offices, broker-dealers, banks, trust companies, insurance companies, money services businesses (MSB), payment processors and other financial services, financial technology (fintech) and emerging technology companies, helping to address their most sensitive issues. From scoping out compliance programs and helping structure products and business lines to responding to regulatory examinations and government investigations, as well as resolving complex disputes, Jonno acts as a trusted advisor with a practical mindset. Jonno has successfully guided companies and individuals through investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) and various state attorneys general offices and financial regulators, resolving many without charges ever being brought against them.
Jonno also routinely advises clients with respect to their regulatory compliance programs and transactional due diligence relating to litigation, bribery, money laundering, market manipulation, data privacy, information security, cybersecurity, business continuity, and other legal and reputational risks, including compliance with DFS’s Bitlicense and Cybersecurity Regulations, the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), FinCEN’s anti-money laundering (AML) regulations and OFAC's sanctions programs.
Jonno writes and speaks on the topic of securities and financial regulation and enforcement, highlighting significant developments for legal and compliance personnel, including insider trading, data privacy, information security, cybersecurity, big data, artificial intelligence, blockchain applications, virtual currency, and other regulatory priorities and trends. He is the author of the data privacy chapters of the Practising Law Institute’s investment adviser and fintech treatises, and also has been published and/or quoted by dozens of industry periodicals.