Since the collapse of Enron and the enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation, federal, state and international authorities have devoted enormous attention to the investigation and prosecution of alleged corporate misconduct. Today, companies and their employees must navigate a treacherous and growing thicket of arcane and sometimes conflicting regulations.
As a result, business entities and individuals increasingly face enforcement-related crises. These include criminal, administrative and legislative inquiries and, potentially, parallel criminal, regulatory and civil proceedings. Coordinating an effective response on multiple fronts can be a complicated, intimidating and burdensome endeavor for even the most sophisticated corporate officials.
WHITE COLLAR CRIMINAL DEFENSE
Drinker Biddle has assembled an exceptional group of dedicated attorneys to help its clients successfully address and resolve these daunting challenges. The firm’s White Collar Crime team includes former federal and state prosecutors with decades of experience representing companies that do business in some of the most heavily regulated industries in the U.S. and abroad. It also features seasoned litigators with years of experience handling regulatory investigations and enforcement actions. This team draws on the resources of the firm’s other litigation practices to develop and present an effective defense in a wide range of white collar criminal and related civil matters. These include cases alleging securities fraud, antitrust violations, tax fraud, environmental crimes, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations, public corruption, health care fraud and procurement fraud.
Drinker Biddle has a proven track record of resolving government investigations and enforcement actions favorably and expeditiously. In many instances, our clients are never charged with a criminal or regulatory violation, and the existence of an inquiry never becomes public. Where the matter cannot be expeditiously closed, we have the talent and depth necessary to handle all stages of the investigative and judicial process, including trial and appeal. Additionally, because the most effective defense is achieved through avoidance of problems before they occur, we are regularly engaged to design and implement corporate compliance programs and to evaluate and improve existing compliance programs.
We invite your attention to illustrative examples of our work in the following areas of criminal defense:
CORPORATE INVESTIGATIONS
Drinker Biddle is also frequently retained by corporate stakeholders, including boards of directors, audit committees and general counsel, to conduct confidential and independent internal investigations of suspected employee misconduct, often brought to the company’s attention via “whistleblower” complaints. In assessing the nature and extent of suspected wrongdoing, we work closely with our clients to help them evaluate the potential impact of the alleged misconduct, make decisions regarding the reporting of any confirmed wrongdoing, and formulate appropriate corrective measures.
Our Corporate Investigations team includes former prosecutors with extensive investigative experience, the former Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court and senior litigators who have spent their careers dealing with allegations of accounting/securities fraud and other alleged corporate misconduct.
DRINKER BIDDLE’S CLIENTS
Our clients include large publicly-traded corporations, closely held companies, non-profit organizations, corporate directors and executives, and public officials. Regardless of our client’s profile, Drinker Biddle represents the client zealously in the manner that best meets the client’s unique needs.