Justin L. Chretien

Justin Chretien is a senior trial attorney with more than 30 years of experience handling high-stakes civil litigation as well as SEC and FINRA examinations, investigations, and litigation. He served as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, as assistant chief litigation counsel for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and as senior litigation counsel for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (later chief counsel and senior director).

Justin’s extensive experience as a DOJ trial attorney makes him a trusted choice for high-stakes civil litigation, while his background as litigation counsel for both the SEC and then FINRA uniquely positions him to represent financial firms and public companies effectively in examinations, investigations, and formal proceedings brought by regulators. He has been recognized with the SEC Enforcement Division Director's Award and FINRA’s Premier Achievement Award for litigation excellence.

Experience

DOJ Experience

Justin represented the United States and its agencies as first-chair in complex civil litigation for more than 10 years in U.S. district and appellate courts, leading large teams of attorneys and experts to consistently successful outcomes, and argued and won two circuit court appeals. Notable cases include Bauer v. United States, 289 F. Supp. 2d 944 (N.D. Ill. 2002), aff'd sub nom. Spurgin-Dienst v. United States, 359 F.3d 451 (7th Cir. 2004); Kuch v. United States, No. 03-cv-00355, 2007 WL 2874974 (E.D. Wash. Sept. 28, 2007); and Reiber v. United States, No. 1:05-cv-22494, 2007 WL 7243427 (S.D. Fla. Aug. 13, 2007).

SEC Experience

Justin represented the SEC in enforcement matters and litigation in federal courts for four years. He successfully unraveled a complex international fraud scheme resulting in a judgment for the SEC of more than $10 million in fines. SEC v. Boock, No. 1:09-cv-08261, 2011 WL 3792819 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 25, 2011). He also decisively acted to freeze more than $1 million in ill-gotten assets of Russian hackers in a high-profile matter in the Southern District of New York, returning funds into U.S. brokerage accounts. SEC v. BroCo Investments & Valery Maltsev, SEC Lit. Rel. Nos. 21452, 21760 (Mar. 16 and Dec. 2, 2010); SEC v. Lines, 669 F. Supp. 2d 460 (S.D.N.Y. 2009).

Speaking Engagements

"Key SEC & FINRA Enforcement Developments," ALI CLE Conference on Life Insurance Company Products, Washington, D.C. (November 6, 2026)

"Life Insurers and Private Credit: Regulatory Expectations, Enforcement Risk, and Litigation Exposure," Association of Life Insurance Counsel Fly-In, New York, NY (October 21, 2026)

"Navigating Registered Product Distribution Across Multiple Regulatory Jurisdictions," ACLI Annual Conference, American Council of Life Insurers, Orlando, FL (October 15, 2026)

"Defending Parallel Investigations Involving the SEC, USAO, State AGs, and Others," Securities Enforcement Forum Central, Chicago, IL (October 1, 2026)

"Variable Products at the Dawn of the AI Age," Toppan Merrill (September 24, 2026)

Cambridge Forum on Broker-Dealer Enforcement and Compliance, New Orleans, LA (May 6–8, 2026)

"The Regulatory Landscape for Insurance Carriers and Producers Selling Securities," Insured Retirement Institute Annual Conference, Tampa, FL (April 23, 2026)

"Compliance and Implementation Regarding Challenges with Indexed Products," Insured Retirement Institute Annual Conference, Tampa, FL (April 23, 2026)

"The New SEC Regulatory and Enforcement Landscape," Insured Retirement Institute Annual Conference, Tampa, FL (March 27, 2025)

"Recent SEC and FINRA Examination and Enforcement Developments," ALI CLE Conference on Life Insurance Company Products, Washington, D.C. (November 8, 2024)

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"Regulatory Hot Topics Landscape," American Council of Life Insurers Compliance & Legal Sections Annual Meeting, Fort Lauderdale, FL (July 24, 2024)

"The SEC Regulatory Landscape: New Cases, New Rules," Insured Retirement Institute Annual Conference, Nashville, TN (April 3, 2024)

"Digital Engagement Practices: Compliance and Legal Challenges," SIFMA Compliance & Legal Society Annual Seminar, Orlando, FL (March 19, 2024)

"A Deep Dive Into SEC v. Cutter and DOL Update," National Association for Fixed Annuities (January 10, 2024)

"SEC v. Cutter," Federation of Americans for Consumer Choice (November 30, 2023)

"The State of Play in Annuity Regulation," National Association for Fixed Annuities Annuity Leadership Forum, Washington, D.C. (June 20, 2023)

"SEC Enforcement and Registered Product Developments," Association of Life Insurance Counsel Annual Meeting (May 7–9, 2023)

Integrity Marketing Group LLC Compliance Summit (2023)

"BD/RIA Hot Topics," Integrity Compliance Summit (May 5–6, 2022)

"Reg BI — Lessons Learned From Year One," Insured Retirement Institute Annual Conference (September 22, 2021)

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Multimedia

Justin graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy with a degree in astronautical engineering and flew as an Air Force fighter pilot, receiving numerous awards and medals. He went on to serve at the Justice Department, the SEC, and FINRA, where he led the team on what was then FINRA's longest and most complex manipulation case. He now chairs the firm's Securities and Investment Companies Industry Group.