White Collar Defense & Internal Investigations

In the wake of corporate scandals, mounting regulation of business practices, aggressive and increasing law enforcement initiatives, and rising shareholder activism, company leaders are coming under increasingly harsh scrutiny. As a result of this and the accompanying rise in white collar criminal litigation, making the important decisions required to steward a business is more complex than ever. The need for competent and experienced white collar attorneys capable of providing a proactive and vigorous defense is essential.

Learning the facts, locating and preserving relevant documents, and presenting the matter cogently and persuasively to decision makers can often make the difference between a successful outcome and a prison sentence. In many cases, corporate leaders and employees called to appear as witnesses in white collar investigations have relied on our many capabilities for assistance in avoiding being named defendants themselves. We are highly adept in these and the many related activities associated with defending white collar cases.

The attorneys in our White Collar Crime group are battle-tested investigators and trial and appellate attorneys that include former federal and state prosecutors. Our decades of trial and investigative experience representing brokers, corporations, corporate leaders, employers and others in white collar criminal matters has involved:

• Accounting fraud
• Bank fraud
• Bribery
• Complex financial fraud
• False claim/qui tam actions
• Health care fraud
• Insurance fraud
• Money laundering
• Mortgage fraud
• Official misconduct/Public corruption
• RICO
• Securities fraud
• Tax fraud

We represent our clients before grand juries and during investigations by federal and state prosecutors. Additionally, we appear before agencies and disciplinary bodies for quasi-criminal matters. Our comprehensive capabilities also include counseling clients in connection with administrative investigations and any related civil fraud or monetary penalty action.

We have defended individuals in large-scale investigations across the United States. We have provided coordinated representation concerning investigations conducted by various U.S. Attorneys' offices throughout the country, the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Internal Investigations

We are experienced in conducting corporate internal investigations and have conducted and participated in internal investigations involving publicly traded corporations and private companies, as well as educational institutions and other governmental entities. In doing so, we have gathered evidence and interviewed witnesses across the United States as well as in Asia and Latin America. Our knowledge and expertise help clients avoid pitfalls concerning attorney-client and work-product privilege issues. Our experience as federal and state prosecutors before joining Hinshaw gives us insight into U.S. Department of Justice and state attorneys general investigations and the internal workings of those agencies.

In addition to our many professional accomplishments, we regularly lecture and serve as program panelists on white collar crime issues. Members of the group have: served as faculty for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy at Northwestern University and the U.S. Department of Justice National Advocacy Center; and serve as adjunct faculty at various law schools, including Northwestern University School of Law, Loyola University Chicago School of Law, and The John Marshall Law School.

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