Recent Publication:
Kathy Jaffari, Mehrnaz Jalali, and Rikisha Collins discuss a growing regulatory and institutional commitment to integrating blockchain technology into traditional market infrastructures.
Mehrnaz (Naz) focuses her practice in the areas of capital markets, securities, and corporate governance. Known for her attention to detail, responsiveness, and collaborative approach, she ensures every matter and transaction is handled with care and works seamlessly with clients, colleagues, and counterparties. Naz brings her thoughtfulness to every matter while balancing the time pressures and practicalities of the corporate environment. She represents companies in a broad range of industries with a variety of capital-raising transactions, including public and private offerings of equity and debt. She regularly advises public companies on securities compliance, SEC disclosure and reporting, annual meeting and proxy matters, corporate governance, compliance with stock exchange listing standards, and general corporate matters.
Naz works with management teams of companies in various sectors (both regulated and unregulated), including life sciences and biotechnology, energy, gaming, specialty products, utilities, aerospace, and automated test equipment.
Prior to joining the firm, Naz practiced at a national law firm where she handled securities law matters and capital markets transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and other business transactions.
Naz earned her bachelor’s degree, on the Dean’s honor roll, from the University of British Columbia, Sauder School of Business. Naz earned her law degree, cum laude, from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. She was the notes editor for the University of Memphis Law Review. Naz is fluent in Farsi.
News
January 26, 2021
Jalali brings significant experience advising on corporate governance and securities disclosure and reporting on significant public equity and debt offerings, as well as a strong background in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) matters. The Corporate Governance & Securities Practice has experienced significant growth in activity.
Publications
January 26, 2026
Kathy Jaffari, Mehrnaz Jalali, and Rikisha Collins discuss a growing regulatory and institutional commitment to integrating blockchain technology into traditional market infrastructures.
December 31, 2025
Mehrnaz Jalali, Rikisha Collins, and Katayun I. Jaffari discuss the shift in the ongoing efforts to develop a regulatory framework for digital assets in the U.S. markets and what they expect will shape the SEC’s regulatory landscape for digital assets in 2026 and beyond.
November 19, 2025
Mehrnaz Jalali, Noah Schottenbauer discuss the SEC's Division of Corporation Finance announcement that it will not substantively weigh in on public companies' requests to exclude most shareholder proposals under Rule 14a-8 due to resource constraints.
October 30, 2025
Kathy Jaffari, Naz Jalali, and Noah Schottenbauer discuss the SEC’s recent no-action letter approving ExxonMobil’s proposed retail voting program, marking a historic shift in policy.
October 23, 2025
Kathy Jaffari, Mehrnaz Jalali, and Rikisha Collins discuss the increasing number of public companies holding digital assets and the considerations they should take when holding cryptocurrency on their balance sheets.
September 23, 2025
Kathy Jaffari, Naz Jalali, and Rikisha Collins discuss the SEC’s recent roundtable on executive compensation disclosure requirements in The Legal Intelligencer.
September 11, 2025
Kathy Jaffari, Mehrnaz Jalali, and Rikisha Collins discuss the SEC and CFTC's unified crypto regulatory framework and Nasdaq's proposed rules for trading tokenized securities.
August 06, 2025
Rikisha Collins, Kathy Jaffari, and Mehrnaz Jalali discuss the SEC's newly launched Project Crypto, which aims to create clear regulations for the digital asset market.
July 29, 2025
Kathy Jaffari, Mehrnaz Jalali, and Rikisha Collins discuss the SEC’s crypto task force roundtables in The Legal Intelligencer, which focuses on developing a comprehensive regulatory framework for crypto assets.
June 10, 2025
Kevin Roggow, Mehrnaz Jalali, and Rana Ozer discuss the SEC's proposed updates to its nearly 50-year-old foreign private issuer (FPI) definition and reporting accommodations.
April 25, 2025
Kathy Jaffari, Mehrnaz Jalali, and Rikisha Collins co-authored an article in The Legal Intelligencer analyzing the evolving priorities and actions of the SEC under the Trump administration.
March 17, 2025
Mehrnaz Jalali, Kevin Roggow, and Rana Ozer discuss the SEC's series of updates to the Securities Act Rules Compliance and Disclosure Interpretations, primarily affecting exempt offerings under Regulation D, Regulation A, and Regulation Crowdfunding.
March 06, 2025
Mehrnaz Jalali and Kevin Roggow discuss the March 3, 2025, guidance issued by the SEC that expands the existing accommodations available to companies to submit draft registration statements to the SEC for confidential, nonpublic review.
February 03, 2025
Naz Jalali, Seth Popick, and Rana Ozer discuss new requirements and developments for public companies when preparing annual reports on Form 10-K for fiscal year 2024 in The Legal Intelligencer.
November 01, 2024
Naz Jalali and Rana Ozer discuss the Securities and Exchange Commission's position on public disclosures relating to artificial intelligence in The Legal Intelligencer.
September 27, 2024
Kathy Jaffari, Mehrnaz Jalali, and John Crozier discuss key executive compensation trends and lessons learned following the 2024 proxy season in The Legal Intelligencer.
April 25, 2024
Kathy Jaffari, Naz Jalali, and Rikisha Collins discuss the final rules adopted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on climate-related disclosures in The Legal Intelligencer.
November 29, 2023
Paul Hallgren and Mehrnaz Jalali discuss the SEC's order to stay the effective date of its Share Repurchase Disclosure Modernization rules adopted in May 2023.
July 31, 2023
Naz Jalali and Paul Hallgren discuss the expansion of disclosure obligations announced by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding issuer share repurchases in The Legal Intelligencer.
January 24, 2023
Naz Jalali, Kevin Roggow, and Paul D. Hallgren discuss the recently adopted amendments to Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act by the Securities Exchange Commission in The Legal Intelligencer.
December 16, 2022
The rule provides an affirmative defense to trading on the basis of MNPI pursuant to plans that are intended to meet the conditions of Rule 10b5-1.
November 04, 2022
Mehrnaz Jalali, Paul Hallgren, and Rikisha Collins discuss the pay versus performance rule adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on August 25 in The Legal Intelligencer.
September 13, 2022
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in a case against the SEC seeking to invalidate Nasdaq’s board diversity rule.
August 30, 2022
The SEC recently adopted final disclosure rules implementing the pay vs. performance requirement of the Dodd-Frank Act for public companies.
April 25, 2022
Mehrnaz Jalali and Rikisha Collins authored an article in The Legal Intelligencer discussing the SEC’s proposed rule on climate-related disclosures and the roles that public companies play in addressing climate change and sustainability.
November 01, 2021
Kathy Jaffari, Naz Jalali, and Paul Hallgren co-authored an article on recommendations made by the Investor Advisory Committee (IAC) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding changes to the rules with respect to Rule 10b5-1 trading plans in The Legal Intelligencer.
August 10, 2021
Rachel Collins Clarke, Mehrnaz Jalali, and Kathy Jaffari discuss Nasdaq's new rules that require Nasdaq-listed companies to either have or explain why they do not have at least two diverse directors.
July 15, 2021
Naz Jalali discusses the SEC's first enforcement action in which all sides of a proposed SPAC transaction were targeted. In this action, the SEC brought charges against the SPAC, the SPAC sponsor, the SPAC’s CEO, the SPAC’s proposed merger target, and the merger target’s founder and former CEO.
April 29, 2021
Mehrnaz Jalali discusses the SEC's continued trajectory on ESG disclosures despite recent criticism for its failure to compel ESG specific disclosures.
March 24, 2021
Mehrnaz Jalali and Kathy Jaffari discuss the SEC's signals over the past six weeks to public companies and investors about its commitment to disclosures and reporting of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues.
Events & Seminars
Past Events
October 19, 2021
- Webinar