DC Corporate Internal Investigations

When a company is faced with allegations of unethical or illegal behavior by outside law enforcement agencies or internal sources, it is typically in their best interest to ascertain the truth before taking action. An organization could seek the advice of legal counsel before pursuing DC corporate internal investigations. An accomplished attorney may be able to help an organization maintain it’s reputation while handling potentially delicate matters.

What is a Corporate Internal Investigation?

A corporate internal investigation in DC may occur when a company or corporation learns they are under investigation by a law enforcement agency or other administrative agency. Corporations typically hire a law firm to conduct their own investigation to get ahead the authorities. A corporate internal investigation may identify information that could lead to the source of illegal activity, present their findings to law enforcement or administrative agency, and lessen any potential penalty or show the agency that no crime or other unethical behavior occurred.

A company could also contact an outside law firm to conduct the investigation and identify any issues If they suspect internal illegal or unethical activity on its own.

The law firm could make a recommendation about the appropriate course of action once they gather information, conduct interviews with company employees and executives, and makes a finding as to what took place and whether laws were broken. They may help form a strategy to make a decision about whether to contact law enforcement and present the information to save the company from criminal or administrative liability.

Relation to a Criminal or Government Investigation

Internal investigation for DC corporations might relate to a criminal government investigation in several ways. A criminal investigation may be initiated and a company could conduct its own parallel investigation to identify the culpable actors within the organization.

A corporate investigation could also lead to a criminal investigation. If a finding is made within the company’s inquiry, the law enforcement agency could be contacted and the agency typically initiates its own investigation that is generated by the corporate investigation.

Actors involved in the Inquiry

General counsel, company executives, the board of directors, or employees could generate a request for an investigation. The law firm or lawyer may assemble a team from inside their firm or could bring together a combination of inside employees and other participants from outside the law firm for help. These participants may include accounting firms or consulting firms.

Possible Courses of Action After the Inquiry

The possible courses of action may vary. There are two basic procedures a company might take after the investigation.

1. When it is determined that no laws were broken, a company could choose to do nothing with the information.
2. A company may choose to disclose the information when laws are broken in an attempt to avoid corporate liability.

Role of a Corporate Internal Investigation Lawyer

The corporate internal investigation attorney typically performs the investigation with other team members and accountants. Lawyers could conduct, record, review and analyze interviews with employees and possibly executives at the company. Corporate officers, executives, managers, and employees at a company may have independent counsel. This may occur when the person believes that their interests are no longer in alignment with the interests of the company. A report is typically generated and provided to the executives and the board of directors of the company and then decisions are made about the proper actions to take.  Call a DC corporate internal investigations lawyer for help.