Corporate Internal investigations

“They’re excellent: they are able to accommodate every level of case from the most complicated to the simplest, they’ve got the resources and deploy them well, and they’re very proactive”

Chambers & UK Partners 2019 – Financial Crime

Corporate Internal investigations

There are a wide variety of circumstances that might lead to a business deciding to instruct lawyers to conduct an internal investigation:

• You might be concerned that your business has inadvertently become involved in the commission of regulatory or criminal wrong doing.
• You could be worried that an employee has defrauded you or stolen money from you.
• You need to investigate whether an employee has breached internal policies or breached codes of conduct set out by your regulator. For example,  through sexual harassment of a colleague.

Each of these scenarios may give rise to the need to instruct an independent lawyer to carry out a full internal investigation to establish what has occurred and advise how to move forward.

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Why Hodge Jones & Allen?

At Hodge Jones & Allen Solicitors, we have the know-how and resources to assist you in getting to the root of the problem. Our lawyers are highly experienced in each of these scenarios and many more to establish the root cause of the problem and put in place a strategy to help you protect your business’ interests.

Our lawyers have been involved in internal investigations in a very wide array of circumstances over the years, including:

• Internal investigations further to concerns by the Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) concerning price fixing and cartels.
• Internal investigations by banks following allegations of sexual harassment by senior employees and internal investigations carried out by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
• We have also assisted businesses to put in place new systems, procedures and due diligence as a result of inadvertent involvement in the commission of offences such as supplying unlawful products, allegations of money laundering and concerns surrounding bribery and corruption.

Solutions Driven Lawyers

Our experts can draw upon experience in a wide array of circumstances relying on their criminal, financial crime, civil and regulatory experience to quickly establish if something has gone wrong before arriving at a solution to manage any situation that your business finds itself in.

Our lawyers are solutions driven towards establishing how best to protect your business. The potential methods of resolution  are wide and varied and we have a lot of experience of:

• Making reports and disclosures to regulators and prosecuting authorities to try and secure immunities from prosecution and minimise any penalties payable
• Acting on behalf of businesses to secure recovery of funds that have been lost through employee fraud
• Liaising with regulators and prosecutors to supply information and confidential company records where a business is compelled to do so
• Investigating internal company procedures to order stock to establish how unlawful products may have entered the supply chain before remedying the situation with new procedures. In the past, having introduced new procedures for companies and having carried out internal staff training, we have subsequently made successful representations to authorities not to prosecute a company
• Represented and advised boards of directors of companies inadvertently involved in money laundering allegations to strengthen their due diligence procedures and cooperate with authorities such as HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)
• Ensured businesses initially treated as suspects in criminal investigations have ultimately been relied upon as witnesses to prosecute the true perpetrators of any criminal conduct

Specific examples of assistance offered include:

• Advising an international energy firm in relation to its disclosure obligations to the SFO and in tandem the US Department of Justice (DoJ) in connection with bribery and corruption
• Advising the CFO of a large global

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Driven to make your business stronger and robust

Independent Lawyers

Where a business becomes concerned as to wrong doing it would be best advised to look at all aspects of its operation to ensure that its procedures are well understood, robust and operating properly.  Independent lawyers can be deployed quickly to carry out full internal investigations. This may involve a full review of company procedures,  interviewing staff and reviewing internal company documents such as emails

Minimal Internal Disruptions

We understand and are very focused on ensuring that an internal investigation where possible should not disrupt the day to day operations of your business. We always aim to keep any disruption to the minimum, with as little drain on the time and resources of your business. Ultimately we seek to ensure that your business comes out on top, as unscathed as possible. Indeed we hold the view that this presents an opportunity to make your business stronger and more robust.

Reputable and Credible Lawyers

If you are contacted by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) or the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), it is important to contact reputable and credible lawyers as quickly as possible. You should rest assured that we carry out all internal investigations very discreetly.

How to get in touch?

• Top Ranked Solicitors

Our top ranking team have years of experience representing the innocent. We stand up to the prosecution who will always be represented by an experienced solicitor or barrister. We know how to fight and win cases.

• Here to help

Representing you at the Police Station or in Court If you need urgent representation call us today. Share a few details with us and we’ll let you know how we can help you.

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If you are calling outside our offices hours (9:30am to 5:30pm) call our free phone 24 telephone 0844 8480 222. There will always be someone at the other end of the telephone to assist you.