Criminal Law, Securities Law, Business Organization

The Top 5 FCPA Fallacies

by NAVEX Global on 5/23/2013

In 2010, the number of federal prosecutions for violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) more than quadrupled. The Department of Justice (DOJ) set a new record for fines and penalties – collecting nearly $1B. The...more

Keeping Internal Investigations Independent and Conflict-Free

by David Smyth | Brooks Pierce on 5/23/2013

Internal investigations can arise in a number of different ways and can concern a number of different subjects. Allegations of financial misconduct, employment-related missteps, and breaches of fiduciary duty, among others,...more

Playing With Ralph Lauren: A Fair Settlement?

by Michael Volkov on 5/20/2013

The FCPA Paparazzi has been at it again – it is fascinating to watch the reaction of practitioners and commentators in the FCPA arena. ...more

Four Key Board Responsibilities for Monitoring Risk and Compliance

by NAVEX Global on 5/13/2013

Introduction: High Pressure Regulatory Environment - Now more than ever, there is increased regulatory pressure on organizations – and their Boards of Directors – to create and maintain effective ethics and compliance...more

DOJ and SEC Scrutinize Potential Misuse of Rule 10b5-1 Trading Plans by Corporate Directors Affiliated with Investment Advisers

by Ashley Burden, Stephen Leitzell, Andrew L. Oringer, Adam Wasserman | Dechert LLP on 5/10/2013

Over the past four years, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) have focused on insider trading involving private funds as one of their key targets in the fight against...more

What Companies Can Learn From The Ralph Lauren Corporation FCPA Case

by Lauren DeSantis-Then, Noam Fischman, Jonathan Rosen | Polsinelli on 5/7/2013

Last week, a subsidiary of American fashion designer Ralph Lauren Corporation made global news for violations of The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 ("FCPA"). In short, FCPA prohibits covered entities – i.e., those that...more

Using the Privilege: Fifth Amendment Fundamentals for Corporations

by Jonathan Cavalier, Hayes Hunt | Cozen O'Connor on 4/24/2013

Most in-house lawyers, if they're fortunate, haven't bumped up against the Fifth Amendment and its related issues since the bar exam. After all, the so-called "nickel" typically arises solely in the criminal context, and...more

The Harder They Fall

by Michael Volkov on 4/18/2013

As the old saying goes, even a broken clock is correct two times a day. My prediction several weeks ago is turning out to be on target. FCPA enforcement is continuing and will increase throughout the year – DOJ/SEC...more

Corporate Aspects of the UK Financial Services Act 2012

by Sergey Kvitkin, Iain Wright, William Yonge | Morgan Lewis on 4/12/2013

Long-heralded reform of the UK financial services regulation architecture impacts the listed company regime. On 1 April, a new financial regulation architecture became operative in the UK through the Financial...more

The Truth Behind Gifts, Meals And Entertainment Enforcement

by Michael Volkov on 3/29/2013

It is time for everyone to take a deep breath. The DOJ/SEC Guidance could not have been clearer. The message to companies – stop devoting so much time to building, tinkering with, and monitoring their policies governing...more

Money Chases Marijuana

by Law Offices of Douglas Slain on 3/24/2013

Cannabis-Ancillary Investments Outlier Investments, Inc., with Private Placement Advisors, LLC, drafts private placement offering documents and assist start-ups with investor presentations; it also advises investors and...more

Third Circuit Reinforces Limits to Directors' Exposure for Misconduct by Corporate Employees

by John Stigi | Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP on 3/8/2013

In Belmont v. MB Investment Partners, Inc., No. 12-1580, 2013 WL 646344 (3d Cir. Feb. 22, 2013), the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit held that a mere failure by corporate directors to oversee enforcement...more

SEC And FBI Try To Ketchup To Heinz Insider Traders

by Jim Burns Jr., Jennifer Liu, Katie Lieberg Stowe | Orrick - Securities Litigation and Regulatory... on 2/26/2013

In the latest development in an SEC lawsuit filed Friday, February 15, U.S. District Judge Rakoff extended a freeze on a Swiss Goldman Sachs account linked to possible insider trading in H.J. Heinz Company call options. The...more

New FCPA Decision: How Long is the FCPA’s Reach?

by Paul T. Friedman, Adam Hunt, Ruti Smithline | Morrison & Foerster LLP on 2/15/2013

A little more than a year after Deustche Telekom (“DT”) and Magyar Telekom entered into multi-million dollar settlements with the SEC and DOJ to resolve claims that the two companies violated the FCPA, three former Magyar...more

DOJ Announces Criminal Charges And Penalties For LIBOR Manipulation, Regulators Announce Parallel Civil Enforcement Actions

by BuckleySandler LLP on 2/15/2013

On February 6, U.S. and U.K. authorities announced that a Japanese financial institution and its British bank parent company agreed to pay roughly $612 million to resolve criminal and civil investigations into the firms’ role...more