K. Susan Grafton counsels a wide variety of broker-dealers, including U.S. and multinational broker-dealers, full service firms, institutional and retail broker-dealers, equity and fixed income alternative trading systems, investment banking boutiques, and private placement agents as well as securities exchanges. She is ranked nationally by Chambers USA in the Broker-Dealer (Compliance) and Broker-Dealer (Enforcement) categories. Clients describe her as “a go-to attorney…especially in Regulation M issues and distribution type questions, [where] she's very knowledgeable” (Chambers USA 2015).

Ms. Grafton’s practice includes representing broker-dealers in all aspects of regulatory compliance, beginning with assisting them in registering with the SEC – as alternative trading systems as well as broker-dealers – and obtaining membership in the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and other self-regulatory organizations (SROs). As part of this process, she drafts all needed documents, such as written supervisory procedures, customer account documents, soft dollars and commission sharing agreements, and electronic access agreements. She also advises clients on new business initiatives and assists them in obtaining required SRO and state approvals. Similarly, she handles the regulatory approvals in connection with changes of control of broker-dealers. Ms. Grafton also advises clients on broker-dealer status questions for themselves and their employees, including compliance with the Rule 15a-6 safe harbor for foreign broker-dealers and drafts agreements and procedures related to the same.

Ms. Grafton’s practice is wide ranging and includes advising clients on regulatory issues related to nearly every aspect of a broker-dealer’s business, financial, operations and supervisory responsibilities. For example, she advises clients on compliance issues relating to Regulations ATS, NMS, SCI and SHO; sponsored access and other electronic trading issues; large trader and position reporting; suitability and standard of care issues; Regulation M and FINRA’s corporate finance rules; information barriers and insider trading; soft dollars and commission sharing arrangements; research, social media and other written communications; political contributions, outsourcing and expense sharing arrangements; the net capital and customer protection rules; cyber security and data protection issues; books-and-records requirements; and OATS and trade reporting. She is frequently consulted on strategic issues, including the implications of acquiring other financial institutions and developing compliant management and supervisory structures. Ms. Grafton has drafted firmwide and business-specific policies and procedures.