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Compliance and Ethics Programs: Passivity Is Pass'
Corporate compliance and ethics programs have matured significantly from their humble beginnings. Since they appeared in the 70s in response to government investigations of overseas bribery in the aerospace, defense and armaments industries, leading to enactment of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, compliance programs have spread into most, if not all, other industries. Moreover, compliance programs have received official “endorsement” by the government through the Sentencing Guidelines for Organizational Defendants (Sentencing Guidelines), which appeared in their original form in 1991 as Chapter 8 of the Federal Sentencing Guideline Manual.
The adoption of corporate compliance and ethics programs throughout many industries led to the establishment of the Ethics Officer Association (EOA) in 1992 as “a professional association for ethics officers and the organizations for which they work, that provides for sharing of ideas and best practices, continuing education and professional development.” From its 12 founding members, EOA has grown to over 1000.
The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later
The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.
The DOJ's New Parameters for Evaluating Corporate Compliance Programs
The parameters set forth in the DOJ's memorandum have implications not only for the government's evaluation of compliance programs in the context of criminal charging decisions, but also for how defense counsel structure their conference-room advocacy seeking declinations or lesser sanctions in both criminal and civil investigations.
Use of Deferred Prosecution Agreements In White Collar Investigations
This article discusses the practical and policy reasons for the use of DPAs and NPAs in white-collar criminal investigations, and considers the NDAA's new reporting provision and its relationship with other efforts to enhance transparency in DOJ decision-making.
Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough
There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.
A Lawyer's System for Active Reading
Active reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.