Joshua Watts

  1. People /

Joshua Watts

Joshua Watts

Associate

  1. People /

Joshua Watts

Joshua Watts

Associate

Joshua Watts

Associate

St. Louis

T: +1 314 259 2087

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Biography

Joshua Watts is an experienced Litigation and Commercial law professional with select experience in disputes involving securities, white collar defense and intellectual property infringement. Josh’s additional experience includes merger and joint venture structuring and litigation, employment related disputes, corporate and regulatory compliance, privacy and defamation, torts, real estate disputes, medical malpractice, and corporate governance. Josh has attained a firm understanding of formulating and implementing approaches to successfully achieving client objectives through his various pre- and post Juris Doctorate legal professional experience.

Josh has provided hundreds of hours of pro bono legal services to recently released offenders through his affiliation with the Concordance Academy of Leadership in an effort to reduce recidivism. He typically handles all existing misdemeanor matters for offenders as well as coordinating attaining their driver’s license and essential government records, modifications of child support obligations in light of incarceration, applications for disability, and appointment of counsel in relation to existing felony cases.

Civic Involvement & Honors

  • American Bar Association, Client Counseling Regional Champion, 2018

Professional Affiliations

  • Bar Association of Metropolitan Saint Louis, member since 2021
  • Concordance Academy of Leadership, Legal Fellow since 2021

Admissions

  • Illinois, 2021
  • Missouri, 2020
  • United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri

Education

  • Saint Louis University, J.D., cum laude, 2019
  • Webster University, B.A., 2015

Related Practice Areas

  • White Collar

  • Broker-Dealer and Investment Advisor Regulatory Enforcement, Disputes and Investigations

  • Energy & Natural Resources

  • Investigations

  • Litigation & Dispute Resolution

  • Regulation, Compliance & Advisory

  • Class Actions & Mass Torts

  • Financial Services

  • Catastrophic Accidents

  • Consumer Fraud

  • Consumer Products

  • Food, Ag & Nutrition

  • Insurance (Class Actions)

  • Pharmaceutical & Medical Devices (Class Actions)

  • Pharmaceutical & Medical Devices (Mass Torts)

  • Business & Commercial Disputes

Experience

  • Provided a civil liability risk analysis by way of detailed analysis of tax representations made in conjunction with several private investment placements in relation to allegations of fraudulent securities misrepresentations and potential 10b-5 violations.
  • Provided damages calculations totaling over $20 million in relation to allegations of patent infringement for a global agricultural equipment manufacturer and retailer while also preparing defenses patent attacks relating to vagueness and obviousness.
  • Assisted in providing for the avoidance of federal charges and the naming as a target and party in relation to a multi-million dollar criminal and civil white-collar investigation that included potential fraudulent securities disclosure concerns.
  • Assisted in the provision of an in-depth review of a multinational joint venture agreement between leading global defense manufacturers relating to the potential manufacture of experimental U.S. Department of Defense hardware with special focus on corporate governance and policy compliance relating to federal Foreign Ownership, Control or Influence laws.
  • Assisted in obtaining a Temporary Restraining Order for infringements of a Trademark involving employee impersonation, online presence mimicry and an aggressive copying by advertisement campaigns.
  • Restructured corporate by-laws in response to issues raised in our drafting of an appropriate buy-sell agreement.

Related Insights

Insights
Oct 20, 2022

Implications of FINRA’s Recently Released 2022 Sanction Guidelines

Key Takeaways: Last December, BCLP’s Financial Services Disputes and Investigations Team issued an alert discussing the Sanction Guidelines issued by FINRA on October 20, 2021. A copy of that alert can be found here. Among other things, we noted that: Previous FINRA Sanction Guidelines failed to recommend the largest monetary sanctions for sales practice violations and other conduct that arguably caused the most significant impact to investors; and FINRA regularly negotiated for, and often received, settlements that largely exceeded the ranges outlined in its prior published Sanction Guidelines. FINRA’s recently published Sanction Guidelines for 2022 surprisingly addresses these two previous critiques. See FINRA Regulatory Notice 22-20 which introduces the most recent Sanction Guidelines. A copy can be found here. One issue the latest version of the Sanction Guidelines raises for debate is the rationale for open-ended sanction ranges for offenses such as AML, churning, excessive mark ups, sale of unregistered securities, fraud, best execution, failure to respond to a regulatory inquiry, and systemic failures to supervise. In our view, FINRA’s decision to leave those ranges open-ended eliminates the possibility of repeatable, predictable and consistent results.
Insights
Mar 15, 2022

FINRA Requests Information from Member Firms Related to the Sale of Complex Products by May 9, 2022

On March 8, 2022, FINRA released Regulatory Notice 22-08 expressing continued concerns related to the sale of complex products and options (“complex products”) to retail investors.The expressed concerns include the following: Registered representatives often fail to understand the unique characteristics and risks presented by complex products; Member firms are not adequately training their registered representatives as to the characteristics and risks of complex products; Registered representatives and member firms often fail to fairly and adequately present complex products to retail customers; Customers often fail to possess the financial experience and acumen to understand the related characteristics and risks, particularly when investing in self-directed accounts; Member firms and their registered representatives are not conducting satisfactory suitability analyses and/or ensuring Regulation Best Interest (“Reg BI”) compliance. Member firms do not have adequate supervisory and compliance programs designed to provide customer protections against the sale of complex products.

Related Insights

Insights
Oct 20, 2022
Implications of FINRA’s Recently Released 2022 Sanction Guidelines
Key Takeaways: Last December, BCLP’s Financial Services Disputes and Investigations Team issued an alert discussing the Sanction Guidelines issued by FINRA on October 20, 2021. A copy of that alert can be found here. Among other things, we noted that: Previous FINRA Sanction Guidelines failed to recommend the largest monetary sanctions for sales practice violations and other conduct that arguably caused the most significant impact to investors; and FINRA regularly negotiated for, and often received, settlements that largely exceeded the ranges outlined in its prior published Sanction Guidelines. FINRA’s recently published Sanction Guidelines for 2022 surprisingly addresses these two previous critiques. See FINRA Regulatory Notice 22-20 which introduces the most recent Sanction Guidelines. A copy can be found here. One issue the latest version of the Sanction Guidelines raises for debate is the rationale for open-ended sanction ranges for offenses such as AML, churning, excessive mark ups, sale of unregistered securities, fraud, best execution, failure to respond to a regulatory inquiry, and systemic failures to supervise. In our view, FINRA’s decision to leave those ranges open-ended eliminates the possibility of repeatable, predictable and consistent results.
Insights
Mar 15, 2022
FINRA Requests Information from Member Firms Related to the Sale of Complex Products by May 9, 2022
On March 8, 2022, FINRA released Regulatory Notice 22-08 expressing continued concerns related to the sale of complex products and options (“complex products”) to retail investors.The expressed concerns include the following: Registered representatives often fail to understand the unique characteristics and risks presented by complex products; Member firms are not adequately training their registered representatives as to the characteristics and risks of complex products; Registered representatives and member firms often fail to fairly and adequately present complex products to retail customers; Customers often fail to possess the financial experience and acumen to understand the related characteristics and risks, particularly when investing in self-directed accounts; Member firms and their registered representatives are not conducting satisfactory suitability analyses and/or ensuring Regulation Best Interest (“Reg BI”) compliance. Member firms do not have adequate supervisory and compliance programs designed to provide customer protections against the sale of complex products.
Insights
Dec 06, 2021
Observations from a Review of FINRA’s 2021 Sanction Guidelines
Awards
May 06, 2021
Firm Named 2021 Innovation in Philanthropy Award Winner for Pro Bono Partnership