Former U.S. Department of Justice attorneys and senior SEC enforcement attorneys form the core of Venable's SEC and White Collar Defense practice. We represent corporations and individuals confronted with inquiries from regulatory and law enforcement agencies. Our clients are Fortune 500, mid-size and small companies, and corporate executives in all phases of civil and criminal investigations by federal and state agencies. We primarily practice in the following areas:

Securities Enforcement and Litigation

We regularly represent companies and individuals in the SEC and other regulatory investigations and enforcement proceedings concerning issues such as: accounting, revenue recognition and financial fraud matters, financial disclosure issues, executive compensation and conduct, related party transactions, insider trading, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, internal controls and books and records requirements, investment advisor and investment company issues, and broker-dealer issues. We also assist clients with front-end compliance and the creation and audit of policies and procedures. We conduct internal investigations and regularly advise special board committees, audit committees and individual corporate directors on a full range of fiduciary responsibilities and financial reporting obligations. In addition, we have extensive experience in private securities litigation, having handled a variety of securities fraud and shareholder derivative cases in federal and state courts.

White Collar Criminal Defense and Investigations

Our attorneys represent corporate and individual clients in federal and state criminal proceedings and regulatory investigations, including grand jury, SEC, congressional, and state legislative committees, criminal trials, and appeals. Our experience includes representing clients concerning a wide array of areas, including healthcare fraud, violation of environmental laws, FCPA matters, securities fraud, anti-money laundering, bribery and government contract fraud, and antitrust violations.

Internal Corporate Investigations

We conduct internal investigations on behalf of public and private corporations, audit committees and special committees of the board of companies, both in the U.S. and abroad, in a wide variety of circumstances, including allegations of financial fraud, money laundering, FCPA violations, insider trading, environmental violations, and corporate governance issues.

Corporate Compliance and Internal Controls

We regularly advise clients on all aspects of corporate compliance programs including records management, insider trading, FCPA, False Claims Act, and whistleblower policies in order to help clients comply with a wide variety of local, state, and federal laws and regulations. We help design and implement corporate compliance procedures, provide training programs and seminars, and audit those procedures to measure compliance. Our extensive experience conducting internal investigations provides a valuable backdrop for compliance advice, and vice versa.