Recent high-profile enforcement actions, including that involving Mathew Martoma and CR Intrinsic, an affiliate of SAC Capital, highlight the SEC Division of Enforcement’s continuing commitment to aggressively prosecuting hedge fund insider trading cases.  See “Fund Manager CR Intrinsic and Former SAC Portfolio Manager Are Civilly and Criminally Charged in Alleged ‘Record’ $276 Million Insider Trading Scheme,” Hedge Fund Law Report, Vol. 5, No. 44 (Nov. 21, 2012).  While registered hedge fund managers are required by Rule 206(4)-7 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 to adopt policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent and detect insider trading and other federal securities law violations, it behooves all hedge fund managers (even those that are not registered) to adopt such policies and procedures.  See “Three Recent SEC Orders Demonstrate a Renewed Emphasis on Investment Adviser Compliance Policies and Procedures by the Enforcement Division,” Hedge Fund Law Report, Vol. 4, No. 45 (Dec. 15, 2011).  Many hedge fund managers have recognized the insider trading risks posed by the use of expert network firms and have adopted policies and procedures designed to address these risks.  But other types of research firms also present insider trading and other regulatory risks.  Before using any investment research firm, it is imperative for hedge fund managers to conduct thorough due diligence to appropriately assess and address those risks.  In a guest article, Susan Mathews and Sanford Bragg describe the different types of research providers in the marketplace; the general approach to research provider due diligence; and some best practices for conducting due diligence on research providers.  Bragg is CEO of Integrity Research Associates, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in evaluating investment research providers, including their compliance platforms.  Mathews is Counsel and head of Integrity Research Compliance.