FINRA Enforcement Senior Director Justin L. Chretien Joins Carlton Fields in Washington, D.C.

Chretien Brings Decades of Litigation Experience, Including High-Profile FINRA and SEC Work

Washington, D.C. – Carlton Fields is pleased to announce that acclaimed securities enforcement litigator Justin L. Chretien has joined the firm’s Financial Services Regulatory Practice as a shareholder in Washington, D.C. He was most recently a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) senior director who oversaw hundreds of cases against broker-dealers and associated persons.

Chretien has a wealth of experience handling high-stakes regulatory investigations, formal disciplinary proceedings, and litigation on behalf of FINRA and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). His distinguished work has been recognized with both FINRA’s Premier Achievement Award and the SEC Enforcement Division Director’s Award for litigation excellence.

“Justin brings our firm clients the stellar combination of extensive compliance knowledge and a deep understanding of regulators’ litigation strategies,” said Shareholder Ann Began Furman, who co-chairs the firm’s Financial Services Regulatory Practice. “On top of that, he has a long track record of building airtight cases as a litigator himself. He is a boon to our team.”

Added Washington, D.C., Office Managing Shareholder Richard Choi, “We are thrilled that Justin has joined Carlton Fields. He adds great experience and perspective to our brain trust of regulatory, compliance, and securities enforcement and litigation attorneys.”

As a senior director in FINRA’s enforcement division, Chretien directed cases involving all manner of violations of federal securities laws and the rules of FINRA and U.S. stock exchanges. Prior to his eight-year tenure in that role, Chretien was senior litigation counsel at FINRA, spearheading litigation in some of FINRA’s most complex and intractable cases.

Before that, Chretien was assistant chief litigation counsel for the SEC, leading teams of attorneys, accountants, and experts in complex international securities and fraud cases as a first-chair litigator. Chretien also served as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice for more than a decade, defending the United States in complex civil litigation in federal district and circuit courts.

“Joining Carlton Fields is a wonderful opportunity for me to apply the skills and experience I've gained in 25 years of litigation, including 13 years with FINRA and the SEC, to assist broker-dealers with their compliance and litigation needs,” Chretien said.

Earlier in his career, Chretien founded and directed a pro bono program called “The Law and You,” leading 30 attorneys providing instruction to high schools in constitutional, civil, and criminal law and the consequences of crime. Chretien earned his J.D. from George Washington University Law School. He received his B.S. from the U.S. Air Force Academy and served as a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot.