Enforcement and Investigations

Setting the standard in white-collar representation

Clients seek out our white collar lawyers in Washington, D.C., London, and other global hubs for good reason:

We’re a leader in managing large, complex, high-stakes investigations.
We’ve successfully represented clients in virtually all substantive areas of white collar defense.
Our global presence enables us to represent clients both in single-and multi-jurisdictional matters — criminal cases, internal investigations, enforcement matters — worldwide.
In the U.S., we frequently represent clients before the Department of Justice (DOJ), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and all other federal agencies, Congress, as well as state attorneys general, state and local prosecutors, and other government and regulatory bodies.
We have significant experience with top non-U.S. regulators. These notably include the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK, as well as the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) and similar authorities in Asia and Europe.

Key Contact

Jeffrey A. Brown

Partner \ New York
+1 212 698 3511 jeffrey.brown@dechert.com

We’re equally adept at dealing with high-profile cases, crisis management, and handling matters discreetly and out of the media.

Our clients span the universe of industries and include public and private businesses; executives, officers and other individuals; and boards of directors and audit committees.

Exceptional experience and expertise — globally

The Dechert team comprises lawyers with exceptional experience and expertise. In the U.S., this includes former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, several former Assistant United States Attorneys, Assistant Attorneys General, and senior lawyers from key agencies and other governmental bodies. A number are inductees into the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Nearly a third of the firm’s litigators are in major commercial centers outside the U.S. As in the U.S., many have distinguished themselves at the highest levels of public service.

We have white collar lawyers in Washington, D.C., New York, and other U.S. cities, as well as London, Paris and Singapore.

Internal investigations can present an especially difficult challenge: Even when outcomes are favorable, companies and their employees are subject to a level of scrutiny that cannot simply damage their reputations, but also potentially expose them to criminal, civil and regulatory liability.

Dechert has represented clients in all phases of internal investigations, and we have extensive experience in the full range of matters that often parallel or derive from them. Our familiarity and frequent interactions with regulators and enforcement agencies enhance our ability to protect our clients’ interests.

Dechert represents public companies, major financial institutions, investment managers of all kinds, broker-dealers, audit and special litigation committees, and senior executives across the spectrum of securities-related matters.

We bring more than litigation savvy to the table: Clients benefit from our deep strengths in securities enforcement, regulatory compliance, capital markets and corporate governance as well.

In the U.S., we routinely deal with the DOJ and the SEC, CFTC, FTC and FINRA. We also have handled matters in the UK, France, Germany, and Hong Kong.

Dechert’s prowess in antitrust defense is based on a powerful foundation of antitrust expertise, litigation dexterity and the focus on understanding our client’s business that permeates the firm’s DNA. Our criminal antitrust lawyers help clients navigate the complex parallel multi-agency criminal and cartel investigations that have become commonplace in recent years.

We most often resolve merger investigations without challenge or even negotiated remedies — a record undoubtedly enhanced by our reputation for successfully litigating merger challenges in court. Our performance in high-profile cartel investigations is equally strong: We’ve frequently forced the termination of proceedings or achieved significant reductions of fines.

Our lawyers have defended numerous False Claims Act (FCA) cases brought by the government as well as qui tam actions brought by whistleblowers accusing their employers of fraud against the government.

Clients come to Dechert for help in these matters not simply because of our experience, but also for the range of that experience. We’ve represented clients such as major pharmaceutical companies, defense contractors and airlines in nonpublic FCA matters that include government investigations alleging improper pricing or price reporting, cost mischarging, improper sales and marketing activity, kickbacks and defective products.

Dechert has a long and distinguished history of defending companies across the globe in internal and government investigations involving allegations of corruption and bribery. We advise companies and senior officers on the issues that may arise in such matters, including voluntary disclosure, disciplinary and remedial measures, and local-law issues. Our lawyers are experts in the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the UK Bribery Act and anti-money laundering laws in multiple jurisdictions worldwide.

Our lawyers serve as independent monitors to companies in connection with deferred prosecution agreements with the DOJ and other regulators. As monitors, we ensure that companies’ compliance infrastructures are appropriately designed and implemented to detect and prevent regulatory violations. We regularly conduct investigations to determine the source of previous violations and liaise between companies and the government working toward a positive conclusion of the monitorship.