Arrest and the White-Collar Defendant
For a person under criminal investigation, the image is a frightening one. There is pounding at your front door during the early morning hours. A voice yells, 'FBI! Open the door!' You throw on clothes, head to the front door and as you open it, agents rush by you into your living room. The FBI agent with whom your attorney has been dealing for months tells you, 'We have a warrant for your arrest. You'll have to come with us.' Your spouse and children, who have been awakened by the agents, are now seated in your living room. Your hands are cuffed behind your back and you are led from your home. Remarkably, all you can think about at this moment is that your lawyer told you the government does not arrest people in these kinds of cases. Your lawyer was wrong.
Features
Whistleblower Retaliation under Sarbanes-Oxley: It's a Crime!
The Congressional response to the scandals of Enron and its corporate cousins was not exactly laser-guided. Much ado already has been made about many provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (the Act), but one that has drawn little comment is its unprecedented, sweeping and <i>criminal</i> whistleblower law. The new criminal statute reaches far beyond the abuses that spawned the Act ' securities and accounting frauds of publicly traded companies.
Features
Make It Go Away!
Forget about Global Crossing, WorldCom, and Enron. These are extreme examples of corporate misconduct. The more typical criminal case against a corporation involves greater ambiguity and often turns on the actions of a very few individuals, or perhaps even one employee acting alone. The vicarious liability case law that is the vehicle for all corporate prosecutions casts a very broad net. An individual need only be acting pursuant to his or her duties (or even apparent duties) in order to create criminal liability for the corporation as a whole.
To Disclose or Not to Disclose
Recent corporate accounting scandals have brought to light disturbing revelations concerning the business practices of many American companies. New — and more severe — penalties for corporate fraud in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 have caused companies to step up their internal efforts to detect and prevent wrongdoing.
Business Crimes Hotline
Recent rulings of interest to you and your practice.
Features
In the Courts
Analysis of the latest cases of importance to your practice.
Features
'Up-the-Ladder' Responsibilities Clarified by Sarbanes-Oxley
As discussed on page 1 of this newsletter, the SEC recently issued 'Standards of Professional Conduct' for attorneys representing issuers before the SEC ' a new rule mandated by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. <i>See</i> 15 U.S.C. ' 7201 <i>et. seq.</i> The Standards clarify an attorney's 'up-the-ladder' corporate reporting responsibilities imposed by the Act. 17 C.F.R. ' 205.
They're Here! Sort of'
They're finally here. Sort of. On January 29, 2003, the SEC issued its long-awaited, much-debated rules implementing 'Standards of Professional Conduct for Attorneys' pursuant to Section 307 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. But the rule-making process is far from over.
Features
White-Collar Sentencing: A Loss of All Sense of Proportion
Imagine the following scenario: The CEO of a large public company (with approximately 1 billion shares outstanding, considerably fewer than General Electric, Microsoft or General Motors) pleads guilty to a material misrepresentation in the company's financial reports, which, according to the government, when disclosed caused the company's stock to drop 50 cents per share.
Features
The Bankruptcy Hotline
Recent cases of importance to your practice.
Need Help?
- Prefer an IP authenticated environment? Request a transition or call 800-756-8993.
- Need other assistance? email Customer Service or call 1-877-256-2472.
MOST POPULAR STORIES
- Law Firms are Reducing Redundant Real Estate by Bringing Support Services Back to the OfficeA trend analysis of the benefits and challenges of bringing back administrative, word processing and billing services to law offices.Read More ›
- Disconnect Between In-House and Outside Counsel'Disconnect Between In-House and Outside Counsel is a continuation of the discussion of client expectations and the disconnect that often occurs. And although the outside attorneys should be pursuing how inside-counsel actually think, inside counsel should make an effort to impart this information without waiting to be asked.Read More ›
- Divorce Lawyers' Obligation to ChildrenDo divorce lawyers have an obligation to disclose client confidences when it is in the best interests of the client's child to do so? The short answer of the rules of professional responsibility is 'no' because a 'yes' answer is deemed to be fundamentally inconsistent with the premises of the adversary system in which the divorce lawyer functions. The longer answer is that the rules encourage ' but do not require ' a divorce lawyer to counsel the client to authorize the disclosure because it is in the best interests of both parent and child.Read More ›
- Upping the Legal Training AnteWomble Carlyle's technology training and online learning programs were in need of an upgrade. Unprecedented firm growth, heightened emphasis on developing lawyers' core technology competencies, and a need to streamline and automate existing e-learning processes led the firm to initiate a fundamental shift.Read More ›