Corporate scandals continue to capture headlines with business leaders often finding themselves in an unforgiving environment. Inattention and missteps can lead to negative press and inquiries from the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), the Department of Justice (DOJ), or the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the U.K., as well as instigate shareholder claims.

Having a culture of compliance focused on business ethics is critical to limiting your company’s liability. Lawyers in our Governance and Compliance practice area have both the corporate and prosecutorial experience to address the changing landscape, which allows little tolerance for compliance error. By having effective compliance programs in place, companies can avoid litigation, multimillion-dollar penalties and reputational damage.

Lawyers in this practice area include former federal prosecutors; experienced securities lawyers, including the former Missouri Commissioner of Securities; and compliance professionals, including Certified Information Privacy Professionals (CIPP/U.S. and EU) and a Certified Ethical Hacker. Their varied backgrounds and knowledge of relevant regulations help clients break down silos and look at compliance more holistically to drive value and efficiency.

Our lawyers work with clients, including boards of directors and board committees, to support their efforts in adopting the right corporate governance structure to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, SEC, NASDAQ and NYSE requirements. In the U.K., our lawyers ensure compliance with applicable corporate governance codes, the AIM Rules and the Listing Rules of the London Stock Exchange (LSE). The United States Sentencing Commission has also revised the Federal Sentencing Guidelines to require higher standards. Both the U.S. and U.K. bodies of law, regulations and other standards are incredibly complex and require a significant investment of time.

Our Governance and Compliance lawyers take a multifaceted approach and provide comprehensive solutions to public, private and not-for-profit companies in the following areas.

  • Acting as outside counsel to audit committees
  • Advising boards of directors with respect to their fiduciary duties, particularly to control transactions
  • Assisting companies in responding to shareholder proposals
  • Counseling compensation committees regarding executive compensation
  • Counseling on hostile takeovers, forced and agreed buyouts and split-ups
  • Counseling on issues arising out of majority-minority shareholder relationships, and other shareholder disputes
  • Conducting risk assessments and compliance reviews, including M&A due diligence reviews
  • Developing and implementing codes of ethics, policies and procedures, including document retention policies
  • Enabling transparency in financial reporting
  • Establishing whistleblower procedures
  • Identifying conflicts of interest
  • Implementing information technology systems and processes that support compliance
  • Investigating alleged fraud or other wrongdoing
  • Reviewing coverage under director and officer liability insurance
Contact Us
  • Worldwide
  • Boston, MA
  • Chicago, IL
  • Denver, CO
  • Dublin, Ireland
  • Edwardsville, IL
  • Jefferson City, MO
  • Kansas City, MO
  • Las Vegas, NV
  • London, England
  • Miami, FL
  • New York, NY
  • Orange County, CA
  • Philadelphia, PA
  • Princeton, NJ
  • Salt Lake City, UT
  • St. Louis, MO
  • Washington, D.C.
  • Wilmington, DE
Worldwide
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Boston, MA
800 Boylston St.
30th Floor
Boston, MA 02199
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Boston, Massachusetts
Chicago, IL
100 North Riverside Plaza
Suite 1500
Chicago, IL 60606-1520
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Chicago, Illinois
Denver, CO
4643 S. Ulster St.
Suite 800
Denver, CO 80237
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Denver, Colorado
Dublin, Ireland
Fitzwilliam Hall, Fitzwilliam Place
Dublin 2, Ireland
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Edwardsville, IL
115 N. Second St.
Edwardsville, IL 62025
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Edwardsville, Illinois
Jefferson City, MO
101 E. High St.
First Floor
Jefferson City, MO 65101
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Jefferson City, Missouri
Kansas City, MO
2345 Grand Blvd.
Suite 1500
Kansas City, MO 64108
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Kansas City, Missouri
Las Vegas, NV
7160 Rafael Rivera Way
Suite 320
Las Vegas, NV 89113
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Las Vegas, Nevada
London, England
Royal College of Surgeons of England
38-43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields
London, WC2A 3PE
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Miami, FL
355 Alhambra Circle
Suite 1200
Coral Gables, FL 33134
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New York, NY
7 Times Square, 44th Floor
New York, NY 10036
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Orange County, CA
19800 MacArthur Boulevard
Suite 300
Irvine, CA 92612
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Philadelphia, PA
2005 Market Street
29th Floor, One Commerce Square
Philadelphia, PA 19103
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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Princeton, NJ
100 Overlook Center
Second Floor
Princeton, NJ 08540
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Princeton, New Jersey
Salt Lake City, UT
222 South Main St.
Suite 1830
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
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Salt Lake City, Utah
St. Louis, MO
7700 Forsyth Blvd.
Suite 1800
St. Louis, MO 63105
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St. Louis, Missouri
Washington, D.C.
1717 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20006
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Wilmington, DE
1007 North Market Street
Wilmington, DE 19801
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Wilmington, Delaware