Venable’s Investigations and White Collar Defense team has extensive experience representing businesses and individuals at every stage of criminal investigations and court proceedings in both federal and state venues. Our team has great depth of experience in responding to grand jury subpoenas and search warrants; preparing clients for grand jury testimony and interviews; negotiating non-prosecution, deferred prosecution, and plea agreements pre-indictment; and handling trial, sentencing, and appeal.
The Investigations and White Collar Defense team also regularly represents companies and individuals in civil fraud enforcement proceedings threatened or initiated by the Justice Department, the SEC, the offices of state attorneys general, and other government agencies, as well as investigations conducted by Congress. We have represented clients responding to civil investigative demands, subpoenas, and other requests for information; prepared clients for interviews and congressional testimony; persuaded the government to refrain from filing enforcement actions or otherwise negotiating pre-suit settlements; and, if necessary, conducted aggressive, full-scale litigation through trial and appeal.
The Investigations and White Collar Defense team also helps clients take proactive measures to protect themselves from civil or criminal liability. We assist clients with the creation and implementation of front-end compliance programs. We conduct internal investigations on behalf of public and private companies, both in the U.S. and abroad, to ferret out suspected wrongdoing and advise clients on the appropriate response. And we regularly advise special board committees, audit committees, and individual corporate directors on a full range of fiduciary responsibilities and financial reporting obligations.
The work of the Investigations and White Collar Defense team encompasses the following types of matters:
- Compliance and internal controls
- Congressional investigations
- Federal government agency investigations (DOJ, SEC, inspectors general)
- Grand jury investigations
- Internal corporate investigations
- State attorney general investigations
- Trials and appeals
The cases we handle involve the full panoply of potential violations of federal and state law. Our experience includes the following substantive areas:
- Anti-money laundering
- Antitrust – criminal
- Consumer fraud
- Environmental crimes
- False Claims Act
- Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
- Government contracts and procurement fraud
- Healthcare and pharmaceutical enforcement
- Public corruption
- Securities enforcement and compliance
- Tax fraud
The Investigations and White Collar Defense team consists of former senior attorneys in numerous branches of both federal and state governments, including the Department of Justice, various U.S. attorneys’ offices, various state attorneys general offices, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The team includes attorneys in each of our offices nationwide. We work closely with attorneys in other practice areas to ensure that our clients benefit from the breadth and depth of the firm's substantive experience and knowledge.
Practice Focus
- Anti-money laundering
- Antitrust – criminal
- Compliance and internal controls
- Congressional investigations
- Consumer fraud
- Environmental crimes
- False Claims Act
- Federal government agency investigations
- Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
- Government contracts and procurement fraud
- Grand jury investigations
- Healthcare and pharmaceutical enforcement
- Internal corporate investigations
- Public corruption
- Securities enforcement and compliance
- State attorney general investigations
- Tax fraud
- Trials and appeals