Lauren L. Valiente
Of Counsel
Lauren Valiente helps protect the reputation and success of her clients by guiding them through intricate corporate governance challenges. Her practice is focused on internal investigations, government enforcement actions, and high stakes civil litigation. She counsels public and private companies, as well as their officers and directors, through these trying and complex situations by applying her lessons learned through years of experience. Fluent in Spanish, Valiente has supported clients in Latin America and the U.S. as well as throughout Asia.
Valiente has extensive experience handling complex internal investigations involving allegations of fraud, theft of trade secrets, and other serious misconduct. She has represented clients in various government enforcement proceedings, including allegations of securities fraud, violations of the False Claims Act, and violations of laws regulating broker-dealers.
In the area of civil litigation, Valiente has represented clients in securities class action litigation, shareholder derivative actions and other shareholder disputes, and False Claims Act litigation. She has also advised on a wide range of international matters, including those involving alleged violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practice Act (FCPA).
Valiente’s clients represent diverse sectors, including health care, pharmaceutical, technology, education, franchise, retail, food and beverage, and beauty and wellness. She is a member of the Securities Enforcement & Litigation practice group, the Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) Team, and the Health Care & Life Sciences Sector. She understands the regulatory issues faced by public companies as well as the unique challenges of their private counterparts.
Understanding the client’s perspective is critically important to Valiente. Since 2021, she has served on the board of directors of HCI Group, Inc., a Florida-based publicly traded company that, through its subsidiaries, is engaged in property and casualty insurance, reinsurance, real estate and information technology. She currently serves as Chair of the Sustainability Committee and as a member of the Compensation Committee.
Representative Experience
- Represented a publicly traded health technology company in an SEC enforcement proceeding, securities class action litigation, and shareholder derivative litigation.
- Represented a special committee of the board of directors of a publicly traded company in an investigation into allegations of corporate misconduct raised in a short-seller report.
- Conducted a large-scale internal investigation for a private company into suspected fraud occurring within their salesforce.
- Represented a large physician provider network in false claims act litigation.
- Conducted an internal investigation for a for-profit educational institution relating to its student recruitment practices.
Awards and Recognition
- Florida Super Lawyers® – Rising Stars lists (2012 – 2017)
- Graduate of the Tampa Bay Chamber’s Leadership Tampa program (2016), and one of three finalists for the Deanne Dewey Roberts Emerging Leader Award
- Tampa Bay Business Journal’s “30 Under 30” award (2007)
Affiliations
- Member, National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD)
- Member, Athena Society
- Member, Latino Corporate Directors Association (LCDA)
- Member, Women Corporate Directors (WCD)
- Member, Southeastern Women in Financial Services (SWIFS)
Community Involvement
- Co-founder (2022) and current chair of the WCD Tampa Women of Color Directors Pipeline Initiative, which provides guidance and assistance to top women of color executives in Florida in searching and applying for public company board seats
- Member of the board of trustees of The Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa
Presentations and Publications
- Interview, “Lauren Valiente Discusses Importance of Board Diversity” Tampa Bay Business Journal (December 2, 2022)
- Co-Author, “Is the DEA Poised to Regulate Telepharmacy?” Health Care Law Today (November 30, 2021)
- Presenter, “Robinhood: The Risks of Gamification,” Southeastern Women in Financial Services (August 31, 2021)
- Co-Author, “Supreme Court Clarifies, but Declines to Significantly Alter, Class Certification Battleground in Securities-Fraud Class Actions,” Foley Insights Blog (July 1, 2021)
- Panelist, 2019 Tampa Bay Women in Leadership Symposium (March 29, 2019)
- Author, “Easing the Cuban Embargo: Automotive Industry Unlikely to Realize Any Immediate Benefit,” Dashboard Insights (January 2015)
- Co-Author, “Analysis: Easing the Cuban Embargo: U.S. Businesses Should Engage in Cuba with Three Caveats in Mind,” Cuba Standard (January 2015)
Languages
- Spanish (fluent)