As a software developer at a law firm, I had to have all of my stock trades pre-approved by the firm just in case there was a conflict, regardless of if I had any actual access to or knowledge of material relevant to the company stock's being traded. Since I invest mostly in indexes, it wasn't much of an issue for me but I had a coworker who had several of his trades blocked without explanation other than there was a conflict. Funny how software developers with no actual access to insider information, just the potential for access, are more restricted than members of Congress who have actual access to such information.