When corporations or individuals face sensitive, complex, and often high-profile regulatory or criminal investigations, our lawyers step in quickly to address immediate issues while preserving options for what may lie ahead. We draw on our deep experience and established track record to manage every aspect of our clients’ most difficult challenges.
Because we are, first and foremost, trial lawyers, we consider how each engagement would play out in a courtroom. This approach enables us to negotiate favorable outcomes on behalf of our clients, most often without a trial; however, when the government decides to initiate civil or criminal proceedings, we are deeply experienced, highly effective advocates at the pre-trial, trial, and appellate stages.
Our team regularly conducts independent internal investigations and whistleblowing investigations on behalf of corporations and their boards, providing presentations and recommendations that are credible, thorough, and minimally disruptive to their businesses. We also work closely with clients to establish and maintain effective compliance programs, including corporate reform and remedial compliance programs. We regularly provide counsel on appropriate responsive actions, including compliance or governance reforms, personnel action, and, when necessary, referral to regulators, law enforcement, or public disclosure.
We not only help clients caught up in government investigations, we also frequently assist clients that have been victims of crime to seek justice—whether by presenting their case to law enforcement or regulators, bringing civil claims in court, or both. Based on our meticulous presentations of law and evidence, and our credibility before government officials, our team has had notable success in convincing authorities to bring charges where our clients have been harmed.
Lawyers in the Global Investigations and White Collar Defense group include former federal prosecutors and DOJ trial lawyers, former federal regulators, state and local prosecutors, and former in-house counsel in leadership positions. We use our experience running investigations and prosecuting matters globally, both to strategize on behalf of our clients and to credibly negotiate with our former government peers. We also leverage this experience when called upon to negotiate with federal prosecutors and regulators, including DOJ, SEC, CFTC, IRS, FTC, FinCEN, and OFAC, state Attorneys General, Congress, U.K. prosecutors and regulators, including the FCA, PRA, SFO, OFSI and FRC, and many other global regulatory agencies.
Our clients range from global financial institutions and multinational corporations to well-capitalized startups and high-net-worth individuals. We regularly represent clients in matters regarding securities and commodities law, including insider trading and market manipulation; anti-corruption laws, including the FCPA and U.K. Bribery Act; criminal antitrust violations; theft of trade secrets; Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering violations; FIRREA; export control and sanctions violations; data privacy and cybersecurity; accounting fraud; criminal tax offenses; False Claims Act; asset freezing and forfeiture; national security issues; and health care fraud and POCA.
Our attorneys also help clients address the crisis management issues that may arise in conjunction with an investigation or prosecution. We work seamlessly across the firm’s broad international network, often in collaboration with our Crisis Management and Government Response group, to provide clients with comprehensive guidance wherever their legal issues arise.