Companies are experiencing ever-increasing scrutiny by government regulators as more lawsuits than ever are being filed because of corporate misconduct. Faced with these challenges, businesses need to be prepared for the risks of serious civil, and potentially criminal, consequences. That is why efficient, effective, and discreet internal investigations are critically important. You need counsel who understands the laws, understands the regulators, and understands what it takes to conduct an effective internal investigation while minimizing the disruption to your business.
Blank Rome’s attorneys are adept at addressing and mitigating these potential risks. We work with companies, boards of directors, and audit and other specialized committees to conduct internal investigations on a wide variety of topics to assess and defend potential claims. Our comprehensive approach brings in employment attorneys, white collar litigators, and industry teams to ensure the solutions we offer address our clients’ specific needs.
We have conducted hundreds of internal investigations for both public and private companies and are known for our ability to handle these actions with impartiality, credibility, efficiency, and discretion. We counsel our clients as independent advisers on a wide array of corporate compliance and governance issues related to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, Dodd Frank Act, Sherman Antitrust Act, False Claims Act, Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) regulations, and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”).
Since investigations can have severe implications for both our clients’ businesses and reputations, we keep investigations narrowly focused to ensure minimal disruption to business operations, and we manage the process to be both cost and time efficient. We ensure the protection of attorney-client and work product privileges, and proactively strategize with clients regarding notification of law enforcement or regulatory authorities about any misconduct and devising ways to best limit criminal liability and potential financial penalties.
How We Can Help
- Advise company leadership and special committees during government audits and/or regulatory investigations
- Conduct investigations into sexual harassment complaints by employees against executives and managers
- Conduct investigations into complaints of hostile work environments, including those related to corporate culture, glass ceilings for women, racial barriers, and similar claims
- Conduct internal company investigations in response to allegations of possible wrongdoing such as bribery and kickbacks, tax, accounting, and financial irregularities
- Conduct investigations related to whistleblower complaints
- Help navigate the complexities of communications and provide strategic advice for claims relating to boards of directors, senior executives, and high-level managers
What Sets Us Apart
- We understand the implications of sensitive investigations for our clients’ businesses and reputations.
- We act quickly and decisively to identify issues, assess problems, and find solutions.
- We are able to draw on the resources of the firm, including high-level strategic communications and public relations advice through our government relations team, to help our clients minimize risk.
