June 9, 2015
Peter Burrell and Martin Weinstein spoke at the 9th Annual International Conference on Anti-Corruption in London.
Litigation partner Peter Burrell, who heads Willkie’s Compliance and Enforcement, and White Collar Defense Practices in the London office moderated a panel on "Controlling Bribery Risks When Interacting with Influential Local Decision-Makers: Risk Management Strategies for Obtaining Market Access Rights, Pricing and Other Regulatory Approvals," and addressed such topics as:
- Distinguishing between fabricated requests for payments and licenses, permits or certifications legally required
- Making the most of using third parties to assist in obtaining approvals and minimising the risk of violation
- Risks and red flags inherent in consultancy agreements: what to look for and avoid
- How to handle requests for donations and political contributions
- What role should your government affairs play in vetting requests for political contributions?
- Responding to and addressing competitor allegations of bribery in the context of a large government contract bidding process
- Resolving anti-corruption compliance challenges in local community development projects
Litigation partner Martin Weinstein, who chairs Willkie’s Compliance, Investigations & Enforcement practice in Washington, DC, was a panelist on, "The Art of Conducting Effective Investigations in High Risk Markets: How to Manage Investigative Approach, Evidence Preservation, Voluntary Disclosures and Local Law Pitfalls." The panel explored:
- Best practice procedures for carrying out a thorough and meaningful internal investigation within an organisation once a potential violation is identified
- Key issues to be addressed at the beginning of an investigation:
- identify the countries affected: pre-empting local road blocks and potentially conflicting laws when conducting cross-border investigations
- documentation to be requested and reviewed
- Different approaches to different types of compliance investigations: anti-trust, anti-corruption, economic sanctions, export controls, money laundering
- How to manage investigative approaches, evidence preservation, voluntary disclosures and local law pitfalls when violations are connected
- At what point, if at all, should you involve external lawyers and forensic accountants?
- Dealing with data privacy and trade secret legal requirements
- Aftermath of the investigations and responding to the findings
- Strategies for negotiating settlements
For more details about the event, click here.
