The Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) is set to step up its scrutiny on the involvement of US general counsel in the backdating of share options, as Lisa Berry – formerly general counsel at KLA Tencor and Juniper Networks – becomes the latest in-house lawyer to face charges brought by the body.
Berry has been charged with routinely backdating option grants from 1997 to 2003, first as general counsel of semiconductor company KLA Tencorand and later as general counsel of Juniper. She is the first person to be charged with backdating malpractice at more than one company.
