Anti-Corruption and Compliance Blog: Porter Hedges - Law Firm, Attorneys

Don’t Wait Until Finals Week: Key Takeaways from the SEC’s Updated Enforcement Manual

John M. Schwietz, Jamie L. Godsey, Heather K. Hatfield — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 09:00:01 -0500

It is springtime, which means graduation season and finals week are approaching. While students prepare for exams on a predictable schedule, compliance professionals operate in a different reality - one where “exam time” is far less predictable and readiness is expected at all times because a pop quiz may come ...

Texas Expands “Mini-TCPA” Requirements to Include Text Messages

Jamie L. Godsey, Heather K. Hatfield — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 09:00:02 -0500

Texas has enacted a new “mini-TCPA” law that regulates telemarketing calls and text messages made to Texas residents, creating new compliance obligations and potential liabilities for businesses both inside and outside the state. Enforcement of the new requirements began on September 1, 2025.

Who Must ...

DOJ Issues New Guidelines Narrowing FCPA Enforcement Scope

Jamie L. Godsey, Heather K. Hatfield — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 09:00:03 -0500

On June 9, 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) released updated guidelines governing the enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), signaling a more focused and strategic approach to foreign bribery cases. The new guidance follows the February 2025 Executive Order that temporarily paused FCPA ...

SEC Shifts Focus to “Rooting Out” AI Abuse

Heather K. Hatfield, Jamie L. Godsey — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 09:00:04 -0500

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has recently focused on “rooting out” the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) by publicly traded companies and brokerage firms.

On February 20, 2025, the SEC established the Cyber and Emerging Technologies Unit (CETU) for the purpose of combatting ...

DOJ Issues Data Security Program Compliance Guide

Heather K. Hatfield, Jamie L. Godsey — Fri, 02 May 2025 09:00:05 -0500

On April 11, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Security Division (NSD) issued a Compliance Guide to provide additional information to assist companies and individuals in complying with the NSD’s Data Security Program (DSP).

The DSP, implemented by the NSD in February 2024 pursuant to Executive ...

Breaking Alert: New Executive Order Temporarily Pauses FCPA Enforcement

Jamie L. Godsey, Heather K. Hatfield — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 09:00:06 -0600

On February 10, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order (EO) directing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to pause enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) for 180 days. During this period, Attorney General Pam Bondi is tasked with reviewing and issuing revised enforcement guidelines. The EO ...

Best Practices to Ensure Compliance with Upcoming Data Protection Regulations

Heather K. Hatfield, Jamie L. Godsey — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 09:00:07 -0500

The Department of Justice ("DOJ") is wasting no time in implementing the new cyber-security Executive Order (the EO), signed on February 28, 2024. As explained in our April 2024 blog post, the EO aims to portect Americans’ data security and is set to take effect next year. Within a week after it was signed, the DOJ (1 ...

Government Signals Focus on AI Enforcement and Data Protection

Heather K. Hatfield, Jamie L. Godsey — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 09:00:08 -0500

Government officials underscored the importance of artificial intelligence (AI) enforcement and data protection during the American Bar Association’s 39^th National Institute on White Collar Crime in March 2024. Specifically, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco indicated during her presentation that the ...

CSF 2.0 – An Expanded Cybersecurity Framework for all Organizations

Heather K. Hatfield, Jamie L. Godsey — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 09:00:09 -0600

Cybersecurity compliance, governance, and disclosure practices have evolved significantly over the past decade. As we have noted in prior blog posts, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is requiring cybersecurity disclosures for public companies. But public companies are not alone in being subject to ...

Anti-Corruption Enforcement: 2023 Year-In-Review

Heather K. Hatfield, Jamie L. Godsey — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 09:00:10 -0600

As we look back on the anti-corruption enforcement trends we saw in 2023, there were several key developments.

The Department of Justice (“DOJ”) brought 11 enforcement actions in 2023. Only six were against companies - Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, Corporacion Financiera Colombiana SA, Tysers ...