Jeffrey W. "Jeff" Willis

Overview

Jeff Willis is a partner in Rogers & Hardin’s litigation group. His practice is focused on representing clients in complex business litigation, securities litigation, and securities regulatory and enforcement matters.

Mr. Willis has experience in a variety of complex litigation, including lawsuits and arbitrations against broker-dealers and other financial institutions; securities class actions; litigation of contract, unfair competition and trade secret claims; the defense of qui tam proceedings; and the representation of public companies and individuals in investigations and enforcement actions brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission, self-regulatory organizations, and securities regulators of numerous states.

Mr. Willis is a member of the American Bar Association, the ABA’s Committee on Broker-Dealer Litigation, and the Securities Industry Association Compliance & Legal Division.

Mr. Willis is co-editor of the Annual ABA Broker-Dealer Litigation Survey. He is the Chairman of the Elections Committee of the Atlanta Bar Association and in 2007 received that organization’s Distinguished Service Award. He has taught seminars on federal and state court local rules, the impact of the new federal rules governing electronic discovery, and litigation and compliance issues presented by complex investment products.

Mr. Willis earned a B.A. degree in political science from the University of the South, magna cum laude, in 1985, and received his law degree from Vanderbilt University in 1988, where he served as Executive Editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review and on the Moot Court Board. Following graduation from law school, Mr. Willis clerked for the Honorable Harry W. Wellford of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Representative Experience

• Representing national, regional and local financial institutions in connection with civil litigation and regulatory matters stemming from complex misappropriation and Ponzi schemes;
• Defending national brokerage firms and other financial institutions in disputes brought by investors, including large individual claims as well as mass actions and other multi-claimant cases;
• Representing companies and individuals under investigation by the SEC or state securities commissioners for potential violations of the securities laws, involving issues such as market manipulation, insider trading, and conflicts of interest;
• Representing broker-dealers and their officers and employees in connection with inquiries and investigations by self-regulatory organizations including FINRA;
• Advising broker-dealers and investment advisers on consumer contract, product disclosure, employment and compliance matters;
• Defending public companies and individual officers in shareholder class actions brought under the federal securities laws, including claims under Sections 11 and 12 of the 1933 Act and Section 10 of the 1934 Act;
• Prosecuting unfair competition lawsuits on behalf of major commercial airlines, resulting in permanent injunctive relief and large damages judgments; and
• Successfully defending a large medical services corporation against charges it had violated the federal False Claims Act.

Professional & Community Activities

• Atlanta Bar Association (1990 - )
• State Bar of Georgia (1990 - )
• American Bar Association (1990 - )

Professional Recognition

• 2007 Distinguished Service Award, Atlanta Bar Association