National law firm Husch Blackwell is pleased to announce that Jeff Le Riche has joined the firm as a partner and member of the Financial Services & Capital Markets industry team in Kansas City. Le Riche joins the firm from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, where he served as a chief trial attorney for more than 20 years.
While at the CFTC, Le Riche led some of the agency’s most complex and high-impact financial investigations and enforcement actions, with a nationwide litigation portfolio focused on market manipulation, corporate fraud, and misconduct in the commodities, derivatives, and futures markets. He played a key role in pioneering data-intensive investigative techniques to identify and prosecute trading violations, resulting in groundbreaking civil and criminal prosecutions for spoofing and market manipulation. While at the CFTC, he was detailed as a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, Fraud Section where he led a portfolio of criminal investigations and prosecutions under the Commodity Exchange Act, marking a pivotal expansion of the Department’s enforcement reach into complex market manipulation and spoofing cases.
“Jeff is widely recognized as a leader in high-stakes enforcement and litigation at the intersection of financial markets and regulation,” said Sverre Roang, leader of the firm’s Financial Services and Capital Markets industry group. “His government service, technical fluency, and strong industry relationships will significantly strengthen our ability to advise clients facing complex regulatory scrutiny and enforcement challenges.”
Prior to his roles at the CFTC and DOJ, Le Riche was a partner at Lathrop GPM (then Lathrop & Gage), where he served as lead counsel in a variety of commercial and financial litigation matters, including reinsurance and offshore captive insurance disputes, as well as commercial real estate and construction litigation.
“When I decided to return to private practice, I was drawn to Husch Blackwell by its national platform, industry-leading financial services practice, and its people-first approach,” said Le Riche. “I look forward to collaborating with my new colleagues to help clients navigate regulatory scrutiny, mitigate enforcement risk, and resolve complex disputes, as well as ensure they are prepared for the next wave of developments in the commodities and digital asset markets.”
Le Riche is the eighth partner to join the Financial Services and Capital Markets group this year.