Indiana debuts tailored legal case management system for securities enforcement

Indiana’s Secretary of State’s office has modernized its securities case management system, creating an integrated cloud-native platform to help investigators and attorneys manage investor complaints, financial records and evidence related to suspected securities fraud and financial exploitation. 

The securities case management system integrates complaint intake, investigations, legal reviews and administrative proceedings into a single platform. It was developed with mavQ and Amazon Web Services, and serves as the internal enforcement tool, helping investigators and attorneys manage cases of suspected securities violations by alleviating some manual work.

It’s also aimed at improving the Securities Division’s ability to enforce state securities laws, regulate investment professionals and investigate suspected cases of financial exploitation — especially those involving seniors and other vulnerable adults.

As part of the modernization, the Indiana Secretary of State’s office evaluated commercial legal case management software. However, the team determined that the Securities Division’s complex investigative, licensing and legal workflows required a more tailored solution. Along with conducting stakeholder workshops, workflow reviews and iterative testing, the state used mavQ’s intelliSuite platform to develop a system around its specific needs rather than build one from scratch. 

“We started with the mission, the experience of our investigators and attorneys, and the outcomes we needed to deliver. We evaluated the market, but conventional software did not sufficiently address the complexity of our processes without substantial tailoring,” said Robert Fulk, chief information officer of the Secretary of State’s office. “The objective was to build around the work, not force our employees to work around software.”

Fulk added that by not just simply upgrading the software, the Securities Division delivered a more sustainable platform, as it also automatically links complaints to investigations and formal legal proceedings. This allows staff to track evidence, manage subpoenas and deadlines, collaborate on documents and associate individuals across multiple cases for increased visibility across cases. It also supports administrative filings, legal orders and tracking payments against financial penalties. 

Fulk said a second phase of the upgrade is currently planned, which will include adding new licensing functions, such as renewals, amendments and compliance notifications. 

For seniors and financially vulnerable adults, Fulk said this improved investigative capacity has a human dimension, as exploitation can involve deceptive investments, abuse of trust or unauthorized financial activity.

“Our seniors and vulnerable Hoosiers deserve to know their government is committed to protecting the savings they worked a lifetime to build,” Fulk said in an emailed statement. “This initiative gives our professionals better tools to pursue misconduct while putting Hoosiers first through responsible innovation.” 

The tool is the next iteration of Indiana’s executive branch work to build tools that reduce fraud and bolster awareness and enforcement. In April, the state launched Indiana Money Quest, a “reactive and responsive” AI-powered financial literacy program that provides uniquely tailored lessons to residents on saving, retirement, investing and fraud prevention based on their specific demographics. 

Though a financial literacy tool or case platform alone cannot prevent fraud, Fulk said that better records and public education can help professionals examine reports and take appropriate action. These values are reflected in Indiana’s Senior Savings Protection legal framework, which addresses reporting of suspected exploitation and enables a number of protective actions.  

“The next generation of government modernization will not be defined by who buys the newest technology first,” Fulk said. “It will be defined by organizations that connect innovation to measurable public value: protecting people, empowering professionals, building trustworthy information foundations and delivering better government.”