Vedder Price

Vedder Thinking

Brooke E. Conner

Shareholder

222 North LaSalle Street Chicago, Illinois 60601

+1 (312) 609 7529

  • VCard

Services

Brooke E. Conner

Shareholder

Brooke E. Conner is a Shareholder at Vedder Price and a member of the Chambers USA-ranked Government Investigations and White Collar Defense team in the firm's Chicago office.

Ms. Conner has significant experience representing clients in investigations and proceedings brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice and other federal and state agencies.  Her practice includes representing companies and individuals in government investigations, conducting internal investigations, counseling clients during regulatory examinations, and representing clients in securities litigation and other complex civil litigation matters. Ms. Conner earned her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, magna cum laude, and her B.A. from Miami University, magna cum laude.

Ms. Conner has successfully represented public and private companies, investment advisers, broker-dealers, hedge funds, boards of directors, board committees and service providers, as well as officers, directors and other individuals facing an investigation or government scrutiny.  Her practice also includes defending suits alleging securities law violations, insider trading, fraud and other regulatory violations. She represents clients in both Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) regulatory matters and arbitration proceedings. 

Ms. Conner has been involved in several high profile cases involving receiverships and large-scale financial fraud where she has worked closely with receivers, law enforcement officials, regulators and others to locate, preserve and maximize the value of the receivership.  She also has significant experience representing clients facing government investigations relating to insider trading.

In addition to her work on behalf of clients facing government investigations and while collar matters, Ms. Conner demonstrates a commitment to pro bono service.  She has represented low-income clients in adoption proceedings and serves as a guardian ad litem on behalf of minors in Cook County. 

Ms. Conner is a member of the American Bar Association (ABA) and the Women in White Collar Defense Association (WWCDA).

While in law school, Ms. Conner was a Summer Honors Intern at the SEC and an extern at FINRA. In addition, she clerked for a federal judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. 

Brooke E. Conner

Shareholder

Education

  • Loyola University Chicago School of Law, J.D., 2010, magna cum laude
  • Miami University, B.A., 2006, magna cum laude

Brooke E. Conner

Shareholder

Bar Admissions

  • Illinois, 2010

Court Admissions

  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, 2010
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana, 2012

Affiliations

  • Member, American Bar Association
  • Member, Women in White Collar Defense Association

Brooke E. Conner

Shareholder

Brooke E. Conner

Shareholder

Brooke E. Conner

Shareholder

Experience

Ms. Conner’s experience includes representing the following clients:

  • Former senior employee of financial institution in connection with parallel DOJ and SEC investigations of securities fraud
  • Audit Committee of public company in connection with internal investigation stemming from multiple whistleblower complaints
  • Broker-dealer in connection with internal and SEC investigations involving trading and supervision issues
  • Former accounting employee of public transportation company in federal criminal prosecution regarding alleged securities fraud and accounting fraud
  • Former senior sales executive for international electronics company in an SEC investigation relating to revenue recognition practices and financial reporting issues
  • Independent trustees of a large Midwest-based mutual fund complex in an SEC investigation involving supervision and oversight issues
  • Investment adviser and four private funds in connection with SEC investigation and state securities investigation stemming from investments in large-scale Ponzi scheme
  • Investment adviser, its parent company and various affiliated entities and individuals in connection with an SEC investigation concerning conflicts of interest and valuation of investments held by private funds managed by affiliates
  • Investment adviser, its parent company and various affiliated entities and individuals in connection with an SEC investigation considering the use of affiliated products and related conflicts of interest
  • Investment adviser in connection with self-report to SEC pursuant to its Share Class Selection Disclosure Initiative
  • Receiver appointed by U.S. District Court on behalf of an individual accused of operating large-scale financial fraud
  • Commodity pool operator in significant commodities fraud litigation and parallel administrative action brought by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
  • Investment adviser and its officers in an SEC investigation involving conflicts of interest and valuation of private fund investments
  • Senior executive of a large public company in connection with parallel SEC and DOJ investigations involving allegations of insider trading in the public company’s stock
  • Family members of respondent in an SEC insider trading investigation concerning trades made in a joint account with target
  • Public company employees in an SEC insider trading investigation regarding trading in advance of negative corporate disclosure impacting stock price
  • Former public company executive charged with insider trading by SEC in federal court action
  • Publicly-traded company in connection with multiple internal investigations related to possible FCPA violations in foreign manufacturing facilities