CORPORATE INVESTIGATIONS

Corporate Investigations

Our high-stakes criminal litigation experience means that the lawyers at Cogdell Law Firm are particularly suited to conduct internal investigations for corporations. Our lawyers represent management or special committees of the boards of publicly held companies in matters involving alleged corporate malfeasance, whistleblower claims, questionable foreign payments, conflicts of interest, government or shareholder challenges to board authority, contests for corporate control, director and officer indemnification and insurance, and other questions of director and officer fiduciary responsibilities and liabilities. Working with forensic experts, auditors, and in-house corporate counsel, we conduct or oversee fact-finding, assess areas of vulnerability, and advise clients on appropriate action. We also have considerable expertise in advising clients on public disclosures, structuring investigations in accordance with various government voluntary disclosure programs, and developing remedial plans and preventive corporate compliance programs.

Our internal investigation practice draws on years of experience representing public companies and their directors in SEC, NASD, and criminal investigations. Since the Sarbanes-Oxley Act took effect, issues involving corporate governance policies, internal controls, and misconduct by executives are often widely publicized. Inevitably, these types of matters threaten the reputation of the company and of the individuals involved. As a result, it is critical to work with a firm that understands both the governmental agencies and the interests of the corporation and its employees.

We regularly advise companies and individuals in investigations initiated by government authorities and have represented many corporations and corporate officials, as well as attorneys, accountants, and other individuals who are under investigation or may be witnesses in an investigation involving procurement fraud, tax fraud, health care fraud, violation of export controls, environmental violations, antitrust issues, perjury, false statements, securities fraud, security clearance violations, banking crimes, payments to foreign officials, commercial bribery, election and campaign finance fraud, and money laundering.