SAN DIEGO (December 8, 2025): San Diego-based law firm Higgs Fletcher & Mack (HFM) has launched a new White-Collar Crime & Regulatory Enforcement Defense Practice Group, further expanding the firm’s comprehensive service offerings.  The launch comes amid heightened regulatory scrutiny across the financial and healthcare sectors, with growing enforcement risk for licensed professionals and institutions involving compliance, suitability, fiduciary duties, and telehealth standards and practices.

Led by attorneys John J. Rice and Jason T. Kandah, the new practice group will advise and assist licensed financial services professionals, registered investment advisors, securities brokers, mortgage loan officers and brokers, lenders, medical providers, executives, fiduciaries, and institutions facing government investigations, regulatory examinations, enforcement actions, and licensing challenges.

Rice is a former federal prosecutor who represents individuals and corporations in a broad range of white-collar criminal defense and regulatory enforcement matters, including Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) enforcement actions, anti-money-laundering/Bank Secrecy Act investigations, public corruption cases, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) investigations, Federal False Claims Act (FFCA) and healthcare billing investigations. He has tried dozens of federal jury trials to verdict and argued appeals across federal circuits. Prior to private practice, he served more than fifteen years with the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), including as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of California and the Southern District of New York. Rice regularly defends clients in criminal matters prosecuted by the DOJ and local prosecutors as well as regulatory enforcement actions brought by the DOJ Civil Division, the SEC, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the California Department of Financial Protection & Innovation (DFPI) and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).

Kandah has over a decade of experience in finance and banking and was a vice president at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, giving him particular industry insight that informs his law practice. He represents individuals and companies in white-collar criminal defense and regulatory enforcement matters—including actions before the California DFPI and other governing state agencies, the SEC, and FINRA. He was previously a licensed Registered Investment Adviser and Broker (Series 7, 66, Life/Accident/Health), furthering his ability to advise and defend on matters relating to licensing, complaints, investigations, regulatory oversight, and enforcement actions for financial services professionals, registered investment advisors (RIA), securities brokers, mortgage loan officers and brokers, lenders, and institutions in high-stakes enforcement environments.

“Through our White-Collar Crime & Regulatory Enforcement Defense Group, we are able to provide strategic and effective representation to licensed professionals and institutions in the financial sector and beyond,” said Jim Peterson, HFM’s Managing Partner. “John’s background as a federal prosecutor and Jason’s significant experience in banking and finance/investments make them uniquely suited to lead this practice group and to provide exceptional representation for our clients.”
You can find more information on the new practice group, including representative engagements here on the HFM website.

About Higgs Fletcher Mack

Higgs Fletcher & Mack is a full-service law firm that serves diverse individuals and industries. For 85 years, the firm has worked tirelessly with companies and people that need legal counsel and representation in and out of the courtroom. Higgs Fletcher & Mack’s more than 75 attorneys have experience in multiple fields of law, and its internal network of legal professionals frequently coordinate in practice area groups that have multi-disciplinary dimensions, helping clients make a more informed decision. The firm is actively recruiting partner-level talent in complimentary practice areas to provide legal expertise in the San Diego region and beyond.