Businesses face a bewildering array of laws and regulations with an impact on almost every aspect of their operations. Every company of significant size is subject to laws regarding employee relations, antitrust, securities, the environment and workplace safety. Most companies are also affected by specific legal rules governing their particular industries or types of operations.
Due to the number and complexity of the laws and regulations affecting businesses, a company’s management and employees may not be fully aware of the legal rules that govern their areas of responsibility. Often corporate employees will take actions that do not comply with applicable laws, either due to ignorance or a willing disregard of the rules. Corporate directors and executives are increasingly facing potential liability for failure to minimize the risks of corporate non-compliance.
The Carter Ledyard & Milburn’s Legal Audit and Investigation Practice Group is a multi-disciplinary group within the firm that can assist businesses in assessing the legal and compliance risks that they face and in designing and implementing programs to minimize these risks. The services available from the practice group range from comprehensive reviews of all aspects of corporate legal risk and top level planning for compliance strategies to focused examinations of the potential risks faced by a new venture or activity.
The practice group is also experienced in private corporate internal investigations that will enable a company to evaluate and document corporate wrongdoing that has been discovered or is suspected and to work with the appropriate regulatory or enforcement agencies to minimize the effects of the wrongdoing.
Beyond its members, the practice group has the ability to call on the resources of the entire firm, including attorneys experienced in criminal law, banking law, tax law, pension law, corporate and securities law, telecommunications law, insurance law, construction law, real estate law, not-for-profit law, health care law, admiralty law, trusts and estates law, immigration law, antitrust law, employment law, intellectual property law, and federal regulatory practice. In addition, the practice group has relationships with a wide variety of consultants and other professionals who can assist companies in assessing and responding to legal and regulatory risks.