Photo of Trey Smith

Trey is an associate in the firm’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement practice. His experience includes serving as a summer associate at the firm in 2021.

This article was originally published on September 18, 2023 in Westlaw Today and is republished here with permission.

Ketan Bhirud, Drew Mann and Trey Smith of Troutman Pepper discuss the Federal Trade Commission’s role in competition enforcement, contextualize the FTC’s analysis of the generative AI industry and provide key takeaways for stakeholders to consider during a period of regulatory uncertainty.

Continue Reading Addressing Competition Concerns in the Developing Generative AI Industry: Key Insights From the FTC’s Analysis

On May 5, 2023, New York Attorney General (AG) Letitia James introduced legislation to regulate businesses engaged in digital asset-related activities “from or within the State of New York.” Titled the “Crypto Regulation, Protection, Transparency, and Oversight Act” (the CRPTO Act or the Act), AG James has called the proposal “the strongest and most comprehensive set of regulations on cryptocurrency in the nation.”

Continue Reading Capital Markets, Professional Perspective – Proposed NY Digital Asset Framework Imposes Consumer Protection-Focused Measures

On June 7, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a request for information (RFI) to gain additional insight into how it can optimize joint enforcement with state attorneys general (state AGs) to protect consumers from fraud. The announcement signals a growing trend of cooperation between the FTC and state AGs, which we have also seen between the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the state regulators.

Continue Reading FTC Comment Request Signals Joint Enforcement With State AGs Will Continue Increasing

State authorities increasingly embrace role as consumer watchdogs


A version of this post was published in Corporate Compliance Insights on April 5, 2023. © Copyright 2023, Corporate Compliance Insights. Reprinted here with permission.


State attorneys general are increasingly taking offensive positions, bringing lawsuits against companies and executives they accuse of bad conduct. A team of attorneys from Troutman Pepper, led by Clayton Friedman and Trey Smith, explore recent cases and how executives can strengthen the corporate veil.

Continue Reading It’s Not Just the Feds: State AGs Are Reaching Through Your Corporation

Join us for the first in a series of episodes covering artificial intelligence (AI). As technology continues to develop, more companies are using AI in their day-to-day business, and with increased use comes increased risk. In this episode, Stephen Piepgrass and colleagues Michael Yaghi and Trey Smith provide an overview of AI, including uses and risks, and the increased focus on AI by various regulators, including state attorneys general, federal agencies, and local governments.

Continue Reading AI: Overview and Current Regulatory Landscape (Part One)

The promise of digital assets is to decentralize finance. Yet in 2022, investors in decentralized technologies lost billions of dollars as the global market cap of all cryptocurrencies fell by 64.1% to $829 billion.

Continue Reading Regulating Digital Assets: Will Congress Finally Enact a Comprehensive Regulatory Framework in 2023?

A lawsuit stemming from the collapse of multibillion-dollar cryptocurrency exchange FTX seeks to recover a billion dollars from FTX’s founder and former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, along with 11 paid endorsers, including Tom Brady, Naomi Osaka, Kevin O’Leary, Gisele Bündchen, Larry David, and Steph Curry. The plaintiffs allege the defendants were involved in a

On November 7, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced a $600,000 settlement with Oklahoma-based payment processor Global Holdings. Attorney General Healey claimed that Global Holdings violated the Massachusetts Unfair and Deceptive Practices Act by sending debt settlement company DMB Financial LLC (DMB) its fees before the federal Telemarketing Sales Rule permits debt settlement companies like