State attorneys general are increasingly aggressive in investigating business practices and enforcing state laws. Knowing how best to respond is crucial to your business's reputation and bottom line. Venable's experience can be your guide through the challenges and uncertainties of an AG investigation.
The attorneys on our team were once themselves the investigators. They include a former U.S. attorney general, a former state's attorney, former assistant U.S. attorneys, and former assistant attorneys general from multiple states. They remain intimately familiar with the inner workings of law enforcement and government regulation.
We have direct experience handling both sides of an investigation, and are uniquely qualified to help you respond. If your business becomes the subject of an AG's probe, our attorneys can provide unparalleled legal and strategic advice. Our goal is to resolve the investigation as promptly as possible with as little impact on your business as necessary.
Spanning states and crossing industries
When conducting an investigation, attorneys general may act alone or in concert with their counterparts in other states. Their reach is broad, and the laws they enforce are diverse. No industry is beyond their watch.
Venable's attorneys represent companies and individuals in attorney general investigations throughout the country. We have a record of successful outcomes in both single-state and multi-state investigations.
Cases we handle span industries and regulatory schemes. They include matters involving antitrust, banking and finance, charitable organizations, consumer affairs, education, energy and utilities, environmental issues, healthcare, information technology, insurance, manufacturing, marketing and advertising, telecommunications, transportation, securities and white-collar crime.
Outcomes designed to protect your best interests
How you respond to an investigation will depend on many factors. One factor that controls all others should be the best interests of your business. Sometimes that calls for the quickest-possible resolution, while at other times a more aggressive defense is warranted.
Crafting the right response for your business is where our experience proves invaluable. Our counsel is based not on canned formulas but on careful analysis and creative solutions. We assess your exposure, lay out your options, recommend a course of action, and guide you through the process.
In responding to an investigation, timeliness and thoroughness are essential. We help you draw together the appropriate information and resources and prepare a comprehensive factual and legal answer to present to government officials. Our approach has proven successful time and again in obtaining the right outcomes for our clients.
REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE
New York Attorney General probe of brokerage practices
When New York's former attorney general, Eliot Spitzer, launched a probe into compensation practices and alleged bid-rigging within the brokerage industry, we successfully represented a major national insurance broker and led the team that conducted its internal investigation.
D.C. Attorney General action to shut down solid waste plant
The District of Columbia attorney general sought to shut down a solid waste transfer facility – one of only two remaining in the district. Our attorneys represented the facility through a lengthy court battle, eventually securing a favorable settlement that allowed the facility to continue in operation in exchange for improvements to its physical plant.
A Pro Bono effort in Maryland to track racial profiling
When the state of Maryland refused to turn over records of state police investigations of racial profiling complaints against its troopers, we represented the NAACP pro bono in litigation against the attorney general to force the state to uncover the records. The case is now on appeal.
Defending companies in AG investigations, from the federal to the state level
Our experience in defending companies who are targets of an attorney general investigation extends across industries, and includes issues ranging from mortgage lending and child care, to waste management, securities matters and more. We've handled cases that have involved not only the Department of Justice, but state-level agencies as well. Currently, Venable is representing a Florida-based internet sales and marketing company in a 38-state AG investigation.
Our team stands at the ready to help you resolve the matter—quickly, efficiently and in a manner that doesn't disrupt your business operations.
With attorneys general throughout the U.S. stepping up their enforcement activities, no business is immune from becoming a target. If it happens to your business, you want a legal team that is grounded in experience and distinguished by innovative strategies.
As attorneys who once represented government and now represent businesses, we understand investigations from both sides. That perspective is invaluable in helping us obtain successful results for our clients that preserve their businesses.