White Collar/Investigations
About
Multinational companies face growing legal challenges around the world. Fines levied against corporations by various national regulatory agencies are on the rise and enforcement activity is growing. Crimes ranging from bribery and money laundering to sanctions and securities violations and fraud are all drawing more attention. As individual countries aggressively seek to regulate conduct beyond their borders, cooperation and information-sharing by law enforcement and regulatory authorities around the world is intensifying.
Managing multijurisdictional complexity and risk
Our global team regularly handles a wide range of complex, high-stakes and multijurisdictional legal matters. We address the risks and complexities arising from investigations and enforcement actions. With our global footprint, experience and skill, we provide comprehensive and cost-effective representation and advice to clients facing exposure to civil and criminal liability, whether in a single jurisdiction or across many. Our team includes former regulators and prosecutors from a number of agencies, including the US Department of Justice, US Securities and Exchange Commission, State Prosecutor's Offices in France, Public Prosecutor's Offices in Germany, and UK Financial Services Authority (predecessor to the Financial Conduct Authority).
Our experience covers every phase of corporate compliance and regulatory enforcement. We provide advice and representation related to risk assessments, compliance reviews, compliance programs, investigations, and civil and criminal enforcement matters and associated civil claims. We also advise on the application of global sanctions, export controls, and national securities regulations - areas of law that change frequently. We assist companies in key areas of regulatory focus, such as money laundering and anti-corruption, including under the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), UK Bribery Act, and Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) statutes and regulations.
Cross-practice strength and worldwide experience
We offer clients the benefit of seamless coordination among multiple offices and practice areas to address their needs. With our worldwide data protection and privacy experience, we can handle these matters in accordance with increasingly complicated rules in this area. Our local law experience and language skills in numerous countries also allows for efficient and cost-effective representation. We have also built a track record of working closely with internal company legal, audit and management teams, reducing costs and minimizing the disruption that results from investigations.
In the United States, our lawyers have extensive experience with oversight agencies and offices at the state and federal levels. Beyond the United States, we assist clients with matters involving agencies across the globe, including in the United Kingdom (Financial Conduct Authority), France (Autorité des Marchés Financiers), Germany (Bundesbank and BaFin), and elsewhere in Europe, Latin America and Asia.
The London White Collar team has been awarded the Legal500 2018 Firm of the Year award for "Risk Advisory: Regulatory Investigations and Corporate Crime".
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AWARDS & RECOGNITION
Band 2: Highly Regarded
White Collar/Investigations Practice
Chambers USA 2024, New York, Massachusetts
Regularly called upon by both individuals and companies from industries including life sciences and financial services for sophisticated representation in criminal trials, appeals and investigations.
Chambers USA 2024 editorial
"White & Case are excellent and can handle the most complex and sophisticated matters."
"The team is excellent in terms of both expertise and experience."
Client quotes, Chambers USA 2024
"Fielding a 'very responsive and skilled' outfit, the White & Case LLP white-collar practice has extensive experience of handling multi-jurisdictional investigations brought by domestic and global enforcement authorities in relation to bribery, money laundering, and tax evasion."
The Legal 500 UK 2024: Regulatory Investigations & Corporate Crime
"White & Case LLP has 'excellent breadth' in its white-collar and investigations team, frequently advising clients in multi-jurisdictional criminal investigations relating to data, money laundering, and regulatory matters. The firm draws on its network of international offices to provide guidance to c-suite executives, high-net-worth individuals, and politicians subjected to proceedings conducted by domestic and foreign enforcement agencies, including the SFO, US DOJ, and FCA."
The Legal 500 UK 2024: Fraud: White Collar Crime, Advice to Individuals
"White & Case has an expert team frequently retained for its expertise in handling both internal and external investigations."
"The team is very strong on providing strategic advice. They understand what government agencies are likely to be focused on."
Chambers USA 2023: New York – White Collar Crime
"They are really the people we are the most confident with, they provide us with the best service we can get. They are a global firm so they can provide advice in any jurisdiction where we are working, they have a client-oriented approach and they are just amazing in terms of timelines."
"I turn to them for complex cases. They have expertise and they are one of the rare firms that takes a position on the subjects. The lawyers' conclusions and analysis give us a real direction to follow."
Chambers Europe 2023: France – Corporate Compliance & Investigations
"The team at White & Case simply go above and beyond for their clients."
"The standout difference I found with W&C compared to other firms is a complete lack of fear when defending a case."
The Legal 500 US 2022: Dispute Resolution: Corporate Crime & White Collar Defense
GIR 30 Elite Investigations Firm
Global Investigations Review 2015 – 2021
"Active across the US and also globally through its international office network, the firm is a strong player in large civil and criminal investigations, and enforcement matters."
The Legal 500 US 2021: Dispute Resolution: Corporate Crime & White Collar Defense
"The team has deep anti-money laundering knowledge as well as a very strong investigations practice, which is able to handle cross-border investigations skillfully owing to its global reach."
The Legal 500 UK 2021: Regulatory Investigations & Corporate Crime (Advice to Corporates)
"Top notch representation." "They leave no stone unturned and consistently exceed expectations."
Chambers USA 2021: White Collar Defense & Investigations
Band 1 Corporate Compliance & Investigations
Chambers Europe, France 2020
"White & Case provide advice at the very highest level—there is nobody better for complex, high-stakes and multi-jurisdictional legal matters.'
The Legal 500 UK 2020: Regulatory Investigations & Corporate Crime (Advice to Corporates)
Experience
Fraud and conspiracy convictions overturned in Varsity Blues case
We successfully defended US businessman John Wilson against claims of conspiracy, bribery and fraud by the US government in connection with the "Varsity Blues" college-admissions investigation. The government charged more than 50 individuals, with all but three being convicted of corruption involving college admissions. Wilson contested the government's charges, and the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit reversed convictions against him on seven out of eight charges, upholding only a technical tax count. Following remand, the government dismissed all the fraud, bribery and conspiracy charges rather than retry them, but sought the same sentence for the tax violation—15 months' incarceration—that Wilson had received before his appeal. In a highly contested sentencing, our team sought a non-custodial sentence, and the court agreed, ordering no prison time for Wilson and telling the prosecutors that with respect to the college admissions charges, "you fundamentally lost."
Special Litigation Committee of the Board of Directors of a Fortune 25 company
Representation of the Special Litigation Committee of the Board of Directors of a Fortune 25 company. The Board received a shareholder derivative demand that it commence proceedings against various officers, directors and external advisors in connection with addressing highly publicized transactions and financial reporting. We thoroughly investigated the allegations, and advised the special committee with respect to its response to the shareholder demand.
Audit committee of a paper products and packaging manufacturer
Representation of the audit committee of a US paper products and packaging manufacturer in an internal investigation into possible violations of company policies by senior executives regarding the reporting of corporate gift income.
Audit committee of international telecom company
Representation of the audit committee of a European-based publicly-traded multinational telecommunications company in an internal investigation of possible FCPA violations involving transactions in multiple countries and before US and foreign regulators.
Leading global financial institution
Representation of a leading global financial institution in investigations by the French, UK, US and Asian regulatory authorities into the setting of LIBOR, EURIBOR and other benchmark rates.
Publicly-traded multinational corporation
Representation of a publicly-traded multinational technology corporation in connection with a US Department of Justice/Securities & Exchange Commission investigation into possible FCPA violations related to the operations of a European subsidiary.
Senior management of global financial institution
Representation of senior management and business officials in connection with criminal and civil investigations by US Department of Justice, New York District Attorney, New York Department of Financial Services and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York into OFAC and reporting violations of a foreign bank allegedly engaged in transactions with countries sanctioned by OFAC. Representation included Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) proceedings in the EU, and criminal law proceedings before US and New York State law enforcement agencies.
Private equity fund
Representation of the Board of Directors of a US private equity fund in an internal investigation involving possible FCPA violations by the Latin American subsidiary of a US portfolio company.
Multinational conglomerate
Representation of a publicly-traded, multinational conglomerate in a global, risk-based FCPA compliance audit of operations in more than 70 countries and related internal investigations at numerous subsidiaries, including in the manufacturing services and healthcare sectors.
Multinational chemical company
Representation of a US-based multinational chemical company in an investigation by the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security into possible violations of the False Claims Act and US customs laws.
International commodities company
Representation of a South American-based international commodities company publicly-traded on US and foreign exchanges, in connection with a Securities & Exchange Commission accounting and reporting fraud investigation, Section 10b class action federal court proceedings, and a home country regulatory investigation.
