In this Season 3 episode, co-hosts A. Valerie Mirko, Partner at Armstrong Teasdale LLP and leader of the firm’s Securities Regulation and Litigation Practice, and William Nelson, Director of Public Policy and Associate General Counsel at the Investment Adviser Association, discuss recent policy shifts at the SEC. Valerie and William discuss the SEC’s rescission of its “No Admit, No Deny” policy and review a recent Division of Examinations risk alert focused on economic conflicts of interest. Valerie also discusses the SEC’s recent rulemaking proposals and previews what may be ahead in the “Atkins Avalanche” - a potential wave of up to 30 rule proposals in 2026 alone. William then covers the SEC’s recent capital formation proposals to streamline public company offerings, as well as the Commission’s new strategic plan, which focuses on innovation, stakeholder engagement, and internal efficiency. This episode is a must-listen for securities lawyers, compliance professionals, regulators, and anyone navigating today’s rapidly evolving regulatory landscape.

Recent Past Episodes of this Series:

Redefining Retirement: New Rules, New Opportunities (5/20/2026)

⁠A New Enforcement Era and the Potential Coming Wave of SEC Rulemaking⁠ (4/22/2026)

⁠⁠Congress Puts the SROs Under the Microscope: SEC Oversight, Transparency, and Reform⁠⁠ (3/18/2026)

⁠⁠⁠Congress Puts the SEC Under the Microscope: Accountability, Due Process, and Reform⁠⁠⁠ (2/11/2026)

⁠⁠⁠⁠A Study in Contrasts: Innovation and Crypto versus the Crypto Fraud Landscape⁠⁠⁠⁠ (1/21/2026)

Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar, its Board of Governors or co-sponsoring Communities and organizations.

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Tune in to Robert T. Howard, Esq., Co-chair of the Health Law Community Steering Committee, as he moderates a dynamic conversation with panelists Remi Mehner, Esq. and Amaru Sanchez, Esq., counsels in Akin’s Health Care and Life Sciences practice, as they discuss the topic Food is Health/Medicine: Why Health Lawyers Should Start Paying Attention to Food Policy. This conversation introduces the concept of how nutritional interventions are being used to prevent and treat diet-related chronic diseases, and why this is relevant to those working in the health law and health policy space. The discussion opens with an overview of the concept of food is medicine, including key terms. Next the panelists inform the listeners about why health lawyers should start paying attention to food policy. The panel discusses actions and signals in the governmental landscape that indicate the importance and timeliness of this discussion. The panelists then discuss funding models, including federal, state, and private sector funding. Lastly, the panelists discuss food law and food policy developments that health lawyers should have on their radar.

Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar, its Board of Governors or co-sponsoring Communities and organizations.

Thank You to our Sponsor!

Posh is the 24/7 call answering service designed for legal professionals of all kinds. Save time and win business with an AI receptionist and team of live agents always at the ready. Capabilities include customized client intake, appointment scheduling, call screening and transferring, English- and Spanish-fluent receptionists, legal integrations, and much more. Simply set your availability and instructions, and Posh handles the rest. Get a free trial at posh.com/law or call 833-GET-POSH.

In this Season 3 episode, co-hosts A. Valerie Mirko, Partner at Armstrong Teasdale LLP and leader of the firm’s Securities Regulation and Litigation Practice, and William Nelson, Director of Public Policy and Associate General Counsel at the Investment Adviser Association, are joined by Kendra Isaacson, Partner at Mindset, for an in-depth discussion of major policy developments reshaping retirement savings.

Kendra is a leading voice on retirement policy, bringing deep experience from her time as Pensions Policy Director for the Senate HELP Committee, at the Department of Labor, and in the private sector. During this episode, she breaks down the DOL’s proposal to expand use of alternative investments in certain retirement accounts, exploring the regulatory rationale, potential benefits, and compliance considerations.

The conversation also covers broader efforts to expand access to retirement savings, including recently introduced federal legislation and the Administration’s newly announced IRA marketplace. Together, Valerie, William and Kendra examine how these initiatives could alter the retirement landscape for investors, advisers, and plan sponsors.

This episode is a must-listen for securities lawyers, compliance professionals, regulators, and anyone navigating today’s rapidly evolving regulatory landscape.

Recent Past Episodes of this Series:

A New Enforcement Era and the Potential Coming Wave of SEC Rulemaking (4/22/2026)

⁠Congress Puts the SROs Under the Microscope: SEC Oversight, Transparency, and Reform⁠ (3/18/2026)

⁠⁠Congress Puts the SEC Under the Microscope: Accountability, Due Process, and Reform⁠⁠ (2/11/2026)

⁠⁠⁠A Study in Contrasts: Innovation and Crypto versus the Crypto Fraud Landscape⁠⁠⁠ (1/21/2026)

⁠⁠⁠⁠A Year of Change, Challenges, and What Comes Next⁠⁠⁠⁠ (12/17/2025)

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠When Washington Stops: What the 2025 Shutdown Means for the SEC and Congress Going Forward⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (11/19/2025)

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The SEC’s New Direction: Enforcement and Governance in Focus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (10/22/25)

Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar, its Board of Governors or co-sponsoring Communities and organizations.

Breathwork expert Lauren Watkins from Breath is Medicine joins the D.C. Bar's Lawyer Well-Being Community to bridge the gap between high-stakes legal advocacy and physiological regulation. She shares simple, science-backed breathing techniques designed to help attorneys handle intensity, regulate their state, and reclaim mental clarity without leaving their desks.

Want more well-being content? Join us for our remote program, the Annual Well-Being Summit TOMORROW, May 7! It's Free!

Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar, its Board of Governors or co-sponsoring Communities and organizations.

To mark this D.C. Law Day on May 1, Brief Encounters, the podcast of the D.C. Bar Communities Office, features a conversation between Tamara Kraljic, Counsel at Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP and incoming Treasurer of the Women’s Bar Association of D.C., and Dr. Annette Weerth, Consul General and Legal Adviser at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Washington, D.C.

In this episode, they explore what diplomacy looks like beyond treaties and formal channels—from fostering transatlantic legal dialogue and engaging with lawyers, courts, and civil society, to convening candid, small circle discussions on accountability, judicial independence, and the rule of law. Dr. Weerth also reflects on the importance of sub national and informal diplomacy in times when traditional diplomatic pathways might be tested, and on the essential role lawyers and law play in supporting democratic institutions, peace and stability both domestically and across borders.

Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar, its Board of Governors or co-sponsoring Communities and organizations.

In this Season 3 episode, co-hosts Valerie Mirko, Partner at Armstrong Teasdale LLP and leader of the firm’s Securities Regulation and Litigation Practice, and William Nelson, Director of Public Policy and Associate General Counsel at the Investment Adviser Association, break down a timely set of regulatory and legislative developments shaping today’s securities landscape.

Valerie and William discuss the recent appointment of David Woodcock as the SEC’s Director of Enforcement and how he is expected to continue Chairman Atkins’s focus on investor harm. Valerie also notes that, despite a recent lull in rulemaking and few open meetings, there could be an “Atkins avalanche” of regulatory activity, with as many as two dozen rules proposed during his tenure.

They further explore Chairman Atkins’s recent speeches, in which he has suggested the SEC may codify certain existing no-action guidance through formal rulemaking.

William also previews next month’s episode, which will cover the Department of Labor’s recent rule that could allow retirement plans to invest more heavily in alternative assets such as private equity and digital assets.

This episode is a must-listen for securities lawyers, compliance professionals, regulators, and anyone navigating today’s rapidly evolving regulatory landscape.

Recent Past Episodes of this Series:

Congress Puts the SROs Under the Microscope: SEC Oversight, Transparency, and Reform (3/18/2026)

⁠Congress Puts the SEC Under the Microscope: Accountability, Due Process, and Reform⁠ (2/11/2026)

⁠⁠A Study in Contrasts: Innovation and Crypto versus the Crypto Fraud Landscape⁠⁠ (1/21/2026)

⁠⁠⁠A Year of Change, Challenges, and What Comes Next⁠⁠⁠ (12/17/2025)

⁠⁠⁠⁠When Washington Stops: What the 2025 Shutdown Means for the SEC and Congress Going Forward⁠⁠⁠⁠ (11/19/2025)

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The SEC’s New Direction: Enforcement and Governance in Focus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (10/22/25)

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠From Memecoins to Custody: What Firms Need to Know About Crypto⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (9/24/25)

Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar, its Board of Governors or co-sponsoring Communities and organizations.

In this episode of Brief Encounters, host Joyce Williams is joined by former Appellate Immigration Judge Andrea Sáenz and former Immigration Judge Anam Rahman Petit for a timely conversation on U.S. immigration law at the intersection of policy and the rule of law. Together, they unpack judicial independence, detention and adjudication, and the shifting boundaries of asylum—offering an insider’s view of how these legal frameworks shape due process, access to protection, and the future of the immigration system.

Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar, its Board of Governors or co-sponsoring Communities and organizations.

In this episode of Brief Encounters, Christina Bonanni, Counsel at Clean Energy Counsel interviews Alice C. Hill, the David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and Environment at the Council on Foreign Relations about the growing strain climate change is placing on the insurance market. Alice explains that the increasing frequency and severity of disasters, such as wildfires, floods, and storms, are making it more difficult for insurers to accurately price risk, leading to higher premiums, reduced coverage, or complete withdrawal from high-risk areas.

These challenges are reshaping the property insurance landscape and raising fundamental questions about the long-term viability of traditional risk-spreading models. But with heightened awareness comes an opportunity to learn, innovate, and build resilience, starting at the community level and scaling upward, ultimately positioning society to not only respond to climate risks but to shape a more sustainable and prepared future.

Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar, its Board of Governors or co-sponsoring Communities and organizations.