Overview
Businesses and individuals are subject to an array of international, federal, state and local regulations. Increasingly, government agencies at all levels are augmenting their civil enforcement efforts with parallel criminal investigations and prosecutions, raising the stakes for all involved. This is especially true for individuals, such as corporate officers, directors, managers, and employees, who face not only stiff fines and regulatory repercussions, but potentially a loss of liberty as well.
Butzel's White Collar Criminal Defense Team has a long history of successfully representing corporations and individuals under civil and criminal investigation. We are experienced in handling all stages of the investigative process, from search warrants and grand jury investigations through the filing of an indictment or a complaint and on to appeal. During the investigation process, our lawyers interact with federal and state prosecutors and law enforcement to secure the best possible outcome for our clients, including decisions not to prosecute whenever possible. Should an investigation result in a formal charge, our team of experienced trial lawyers have handled hundreds of criminal investigations and tried dozens of complex federal and state criminal jury trials and appeals.
More than just reactive, our White Collar Criminal Defense Team also helps corporate clients develop and strengthen compliance and reporting programs so as to avoid violating the law. We also counsel clients on how to address concerns before the regulators and prosecutors get involved. Our team can structure and conduct internal investigations of alleged wrongdoing and give advice on preserving or destroying records, interviewing employees, and determining whether employees should have separate representation. We also counsel companies regarding their obligations to disclose activities that may constitute criminal misconduct, how that information should be disclosed, and how best to interact with the government.
Our White Collar Criminal Defense Team has vast experience in a wide range of areas, including but not limited to health care fraud, mortgage fraud, customs fraud, tax fraud, mail and wire fraud, securities fraud, anti-trust enforcement, environmental law, copyright and other intellectual property matters, e-commerce and other technology issues, government defense contracts, employment issues, bank and thrift institution supervision, health care and insurance compliance, federal securities compliance, and Clery Act compliance by colleges and universities.
Given our extensive experience, our White Collar Criminal Defense Team has handled investigations by a number of regulatory and criminal justice agencies, including but not limited to the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Postal Service, the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, the Securities & Exchange Commission, the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Education.
Our White Collar Criminal Defense Team knows that there are often related legal issues lurking behind the scenes when clients are under criminal investigation. And because we are a full-service law firm, our team has access to skilled lawyers from a variety of practice areas. These lawyers assist our team in taking a comprehensive, global approach to all of the related legal issues facing our clients. For example, criminal tax cases may involve related real estate and bankruptcy issues, health care cases may involve licensing and insurance issues, government contracting fraud cases may involve debarment. No matter what the related issue, Butzel's integrated approach to resolving our clients legal matters ensures prompt, efficient, and effective service.
