Commodity Futures
Commodity futures market participants who need a steady hand and practical advice look to Howard & Howard.
Based in Chicago, the epicenter of the futures industry, Howard & Howard’s Commodity Futures Group delivers prudent and informed legal counsel in transactional, regulatory, and litigation matters—the counsel you need in such a fast-paced, highly regulated environment.
Led by a former floor broker at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), the team advises commodity trading advisors, commodity pool operators, brokers, and other businesses and individuals entering or already participating in the exchange-futures, swaps, and foreign currency or FOREX markets.
Ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements is a large part of our work, and as such, our commodity lawyers routinely:
- Prepare and draft disclosure documents for commodity trading advisors and commodity pool operators
- Prepare and draft offering documents for hedge fund operators
- Draft no-action letters for clients to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)
- Counsel clients on adhering to the Dodd-Frank Act
We also advise clients on the expanding scope of the Commodity Exchange Act, CFTC Regulations, and the rules of the National Futures Association (NFA) pertaining to trade practices, registrations and exemptions, reporting, and recordkeeping, as well as appropriate use of electronic trading systems and other emerging technologies mandated by regulators.
Inquiries, investigations, customer complaints, and disciplinary and enforcement actions are not uncommon in the futures industry, and our commodities lawyers vigorously defend clients in proceedings and arbitrations initiated by the NFA, CME, CFTC, and other regulatory and self-regulatory bodies, such as:
- Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
- Financial Industry Regulatory Authority
- State securities regulators
If necessary, our litigators seek appeals and reviews of administrative orders in federal court to assert and protect clients’ rights and interests.
In the fast-paced, highly regulated commodity futures industry, our skilled lawyers provide important guidance to businesses and individuals participating in these markets. Offering a unique combination of hands-on professional experience and problem-solving, the Howard & Howard Commodity Futures Group is positioned to provide exceptional legal services for our clients.