Corporations are being scrutinized today as never before and are under increasing pressure to self-report corporate wrongdoing. When a company becomes aware of potential misconduct, a thorough and efficient investigation of the alleged wrongdoing can be the difference between coming under the criminal microscope and successfully addressing and navigating the issue. Our team recognizes the sensitive nature of these matters and can advise you whether the situation needs to be disclosed to the authorities and at what point in time that needs to be done. You can rely on our extensive experience to guide you through the entire process. When conducting investigations, we often advise companies on corporate governance issues and compliance programs. Our attorneys have the ability to call on other Gentry Locke attorneys with regulatory experience in virtually every substantive area of law and to coordinate with seasoned investigators and consultants, many of whom have had distinguished careers with federal law enforcement agencies.
We offer our clients the following services:
- Conduct internal investigations for corporations facing investigations in highly regulated areas, such as healthcare, government contracting, higher education, securities, antitrust, financial, retail and manufacturing, construction, and environmental and natural resources
- Advise and represent businesses and individuals called to provide testimony in criminal investigations, including responses to subpoenas, grand jury testimony, and discussions with prosecutors
- Coordinate electronic discovery and electronic document retention and production
Increased regulatory oversight is a reality for corporations and individuals in nearly every business sector of the economy.
The need to ensure compliance with these regulations on both industrial and governmental levels has never been more crucial. Professionals in industries such as insurance, healthcare, government contracting, natural resources, banking, securities, and financial industries routinely turn to our firm for guidance.
Tom Bondurant, Erin Harrigan, Melissa O’Boyle, and Carlos Hopkins have tried several hundred criminal jury and bench trials between them, and have conducted thousands of investigations. With a former Chief of the Criminal Division of the Western District of Virginia U.S. Attorney’s Office, a former supervisor of the Eastern District of Virginia U.S. Attorney’s Office, and former state and federal prosecutors on our team, we are uniquely positioned to investigate potential misconduct and address any compliance concerns faced by our clients. Our attorneys work closely with our clients to ensure that we are sensitive to the unique needs of our clients’ business and to ensure our response is tailored to the size of the potential problem.
Not every investigation needs a massive surge of resources, and we pride ourselves on helping our clients assess the right response to the issue they face. Our team has experience both leading large-scale investigations marshalling dozens of attorneys and forensic accountants to review broad allegations of misconduct, and crafting nimble, small teams for limited and efficient responses to discrete claims.
In addition to fact-finding investigations, our team of attorneys regularly advises our clients on identifying and implementing corrections actions to minimize legal risk and exposure, including any necessary self-reporting to state or federal regulatory agencies. We assist clients in developing corporate compliance policies designed to help avoid violations of law in highly-regulated industries.
We have helped our clients with internal investigations in some of the following areas:
- Lead and directed a 13-month long internal investigative team, consisting of 70 lawyers, accountants, and IT members, tasked with investigating financial and business operations of a non-profit university over a 12-year time period
- Conducted investigations for several international pharmaceutical companies into allegations under the False Claims Act, the Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act (FDCA), and marketing and advertising regulations
- Performed internal investigation on behalf of client non-profit organization into serious allegations of gross sexual assault, sexual harassment, financial mismanagement, and discrimination in the workplace
- Provided rapid-response internal investigation involving allegations of violations of the False Claims Act by employees of client defense contractor, advising client on recommendations for remedial action within 24 hours
- Conducted internal investigation into management of financial account and provided compliance recommendations under Virginia procurement regulations for client partnered with government agency on projects
- Advises colleges and universities on performing compliant Title IX investigations into allegations of student misconduct, in a rapidly changing regulatory environment
- Counsels defense contractor clients on compliance with FCA, Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations Supplement (DFARS), and other defense industry regulations, and provides internal investigation services to clients facing allegations of employee misconduct violating these provisions
- Conducted internal investigation into False Claims Act allegations against a subcontractor on behalf of a large defense contractor stemming from the subcontractor’s fraudulent practices while performing on a significant and sensitive defense contract
- Conducted internal investigation into a large non-profit’s management of state grant funds, accounting practices, and financial stability
- Conducted multiple investigations into cybersecurity incidents to determine the cause and scope of data breaches and advise client to minimize financial and reputational damage
We encourage you to review the personal pages of the attorneys in our Internal Investigations Group for additional information and then contact us to discuss your legal needs.