Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

Business Crimes BulletinKickerFeaturesTopicsCommercial LawSectionsNewsLJN Newsletters

DOJ, Heal Thyself

By Jim Walden and Georgia Winston
January 26, 2010

Federal prosecutors have rightly demanded that corporations invest time and money in compliance programs to combat corporate crime. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has enforced this imperative with a big stick: If an employee breaks the law while engaged in the company's business, the company's lack of an “effective compliance program” is a ground for imposing the “corporate death penalty,” as in the case of Arthur Andersen, or a range of lesser (but still severe) penalties.

But what about compliance in the business of dispensing justice? The uptick in implosions of high-profile criminal cases has been cause for concern among the DOJ's most ardent supporters. Policymakers need to ask whether the DOJ is doing as much to mitigate its own risks of employee misconduct as it requires of the companies it investigates and prosecutes.

This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later Image

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.

How AI Has Affected PR Image

When we consider how the use of AI affects legal PR and communications, we have to look at it as an industrywide global phenomenon. A recent online conference provided an overview of the latest AI trends in public relations, and specifically, the impact of AI on communications. Here are some of the key points and takeaways from several of the speakers, who provided current best practices, tips, concerns and case studies.

Use of Deferred Prosecution Agreements In White Collar Investigations Image

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.

The DOJ's New Parameters for Evaluating Corporate Compliance Programs Image

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.

CLE Shouldn't Be the Only Mandatory Training for Attorneys Image

Each stage of an attorney's career offers opportunities for a curriculum that addresses both the individual's and the firm's need to drive success.