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- Home
- Practices and Industries
- Litigation and Investigations
- Anti-corruption/FCPA
GIR Ranks Covington Among the
World's Top 30 Investigations Practices
The world’s most sophisticated business organizations turn to Covington for anti-corruption advice and investigative counsel.
With roots in the conception of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), Covington has been a leading voice on U.S. legislation and policy relating to anti-corruption enforcement and compliance, as well as on new legislation around the world, including the U.K. Bribery Act.
Our global practice has garnered the attention of numerous publications, including Global Investigations Review, Chambers and Legal 500.
As the home to a former U.S. Attorney General, three former heads of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, and numerous other former high-ranking prosecutors, Covington has unmatched expertise in guiding clients safely through this prevailing climate of heightened enforcement.
We are also one of the few firms in the world to have a senior lawyer resident in China who focuses on anti-corruption counseling and investigations.
Across both counseling and investigations, our anti-corruption team is able to provide “24-hour” real-time support to our clients with seamless coordination across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Our team has handled matters throughout the world, including in Brazil, China, Eastern Europe, Germany, India, Indonesia, Mexico, the Middle East, Russia, South Korea, and the UK.
We are further distinguished by our ability to translate nuanced legal analysis into practical advice that makes sense to business clients. With more than 35 years of experience advising companies on the toughest compliance questions, conducting internal investigations, and helping to design and implement effective compliance programs, we have the experience and sophistication to guide clients through the prevailing climate of heightened enforcement.
Cross-border trade, anti-corruption, and data compliance
Advising a major petrochemical company regarding its establishment of an integrated compliance program, with particular focus on the areas of U.S. and European trade controls, anti-corruption, and data privacy. Our representation includes assistance with establishing a corporate compliance office, assessing risks in these areas, drafting the necessary policies and procedures tailored to company risks and operations, and implementing the program through training and assessment.
Manufacturing company SEC enforcement action
Persuaded the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission not to pursue enforcement action against a leading manufacturing company following an 18-month investigation of business practices in Europe and Asia.
UK Bribery Act enactment
Participated extensively in the consultations leading to the enactment of the 2010 UK Bribery Act.
World Bank bribery allegations
Investigating allegations of fraud, bribery, and collusion in a contract financed by the World Bank and representing the client before the World Bank Integrity Vice Presidency in anticipation of a potential debarment action.
Covington's London Public Company Practice Closes a Strong Year of Life Sciences Transactions
January 25, 2021
LONDON–Covington’s London corporate team has advised AIM- and Main Market-listed clients on multiple fundraisings and acquisitions over the past few months, marking a strong year in life sciences transactions. These include: Advising Sensyne Health plc, a UK clinical AI company listed on the London AIM market, on its £27.5 million equity fundraising The ...
Money Laundering Will Not Take You As Far As Prison
November 17, 2020, Vixio
Ian Hargreaves spoke with Vixio about the penalties around anti-money laundering violations. Mr. Hargreaves says, “AML offences generally do not result in custodial sentences. Instead, there is a focus on deterrence.” He argues the four-year maximum sentence for AML offences demonstrates that the EU is looking to ramp up the deterrent effect and the ...
September 4, 2020, Covington Alert
It has been over twenty years since the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention came into force, over a decade since the enactment of the UK Bribery Act, and over three years since the passage of France’s Sapin II law. Alongside those ground-breaking developments have come a host of other measures across the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (“EMEA”) region to strengthen ...
July 2, 2020, Global Investigations Review
Robert Henrici is quoted in Global Investigations Review regarding Wirecard’s €2 billion accounting scandal. Mr. Henrici says ultimately, it is too early to assign responsibility to any particular party for the Wirecard scandal and warned against knee-jerk reforms. “We don’t know what BaFin did to investigate [Wirecard] and it’s clear now that criminal conduct ...
June 27, 2020
WASHINGTON—Covington represented Piramal Enterprises Limited (PEL) in the sale of a 20% stake in Piramal Pharma Limited (Piramal Pharma), a wholly owned subsidiary of PEL that will contain its pharmaceutical businesses, to CA Clover Intermediate II Investments, an affiliated entity of CAP V Mauritius Limited, an investment fund managed and advised by affiliated ...
April 25, 2020, Law360
Ian Hargreaves spoke with Law360 about an increase in market manipulation cases amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Hargreaves says, “The FCA will be looking very closely at markets and insider dealing to see if there are any trends and fluctuations that are unexplained. We will only see the outcome of that in several months or even several years' time.” He adds, ...
Mark Finucane Named to GIR 40 Under 40
April 23, 2020
LONDON—Global Investigations Review has named Mark Finucane to its third “40 Under 40” list, profiling 40 leading investigations specialists from around the world. Honorees were selected on a range of factors including their experience, third-party references, and the jurisdictions where they work. Mr. Finucane’s practice focuses on representing institutions and ...
April 16, 2020, Financial Times
Ian Hargreaves spoke with the Financial Times about the risk of fraud when checking the identity of clients in remote locations. Mr. Hargreaves says overall the rush to do business during the pandemic was having a negative effect on independent data verification. “Businesses making snap decisions on very limited data and information is a real problem,” he adds.
5 Questions About Britain’s Minibond Regulatory Scandal
August 22, 2019, Law360
Ian Hargreaves is quoted in Law360 regarding the U.K.’s minibond scandal and the regulatory response. Mr. Hargreaves says, “Customers are arguing that they believed the minibonds were FCA-authorized when they were not. Consequently, their impression was that the investments were safer than they actually were.” He adds, “Essentially, the FCA regulates by activity ...
August 8, 2019, Commercial Dispute Resolution
Ian Hargreaves spoke with Commercial Dispute Resolution regarding a recent National Crime Agency’s Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO) investigation. Mr. Hargreaves says, “For many years the U.K. has been criticized for allowing too much ‘dirty’ money to pass through its financial systems, reside in expensive residential/commercial properties and be invested through ...
Partnerzugang in Frankfurt
May 10, 2019, Legal Tribune Online
Legal Tribune Online covered Robert Henrici’s move to the firm in Frankfurt. Mythili Raman and Mr. Henrici discussed the firm’s growing White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice.
May 2, 2019
FRANKFURT—Robert Henrici has joined Covington’s White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice as a partner in Frankfurt. Mr. Henrici’s practice focuses on white collar and regulatory investigations, including investigations related to alleged market manipulation, anti-corruption and sanctions violations, and tax evasion. He complements his white collar work ...
Sarah Crowder Named to GIR's "Women in Investigations"
July 17, 2018
LONDON—Global Investigations Review has named Covington’s Sarah Crowder to the second edition of “Women in Investigations,” highlighting 100 female practitioners from across the globe. Nancy Kestenbaum and Mythili Raman were selected to the list’s first edition in 2015. The survey highlights a variety of women not previously recognized by the magazine—from ...
Women in Investigations 2018: Sarah Crowder
June 21, 2018, Global Investigations Review
Sarah Crowder was named to Global Investigations Review's "Women in Investigations 2018" list. Her profile can be found here.
Can New SFO Chief Recharge Agency?
June 5, 2018, The Wall Street Journal
Ian Hargreaves is quoted by The Wall Street Journal in an article regarding the appointment of Lisa Osofsky to Director of the UK Serious Fraud Office. Osofsky previously worked as assistant U.S. attorney at the U.S. Justice Department and as deputy general counsel and ethics officer at the Federal Bureau of Investigation. According to Hargreaves, "[The U.S. ...
May 17, 2018, Global Investigations Review
May 1, 2018
WASHINGTON—Covington advised Elbit Systems Ltd. in its $120 million acquisition of the assets and operations of the privately owned U.S. company, Universal Avionics Systems. Elbit Systems is an international high technology company engaged in a wide range of defense, homeland security, and commercial programs throughout the world. Universal Avionics is a ...
January 22, 2018
WASHINGTON—Covington advised Bacardi Limited in its definitive agreement to acquire Patrón Spirits International AG and its PATRÓN® brand, the world’s top-selling ultra-premium tequila, from John Paul DeJoria, a founder of Patrón. The transaction reflects an enterprise value for Patrón of $5.1 billion. The transaction follows the successful relationship the ...
January 19, 2018, Law360
Covington was named a 2017 International Trade Group of the Year by Law360. According to Peter Lichtenbaum, the Bombardier trade remedies case, which "presents very significant economic, legal, and political issues," was one of the group's biggest from the past year. "The company remains confident that the ITC will conclude that Boeing will not be harmed by the ...
The view from the Summit – Part Two
November 30, 2017, African Law & Business
Ian Hargreaves participated in a panel discussing the management of compliance against anti-corruption and bribery laws at the African Law & Business Summit and is quoted in an article providing highlights from the event. Commenting on the impact of the "Paradise Papers," Hargreaves reminded the audience that many of the revelations were but allegations, and ...
Diverse debate reveals civil justice challenges
July 12, 2017, Commercial Dispute Resolution
Ian Hargreaves chaired a session on managing conjoined civil and criminal fraud cases at Commercial Dispute Resolution's Summer Litigation Symposium.
June 9, 2017, The Wall Street Journal
Ian Hargreaves is quoted by The Wall Street Journal in an article regarding the future of the UK's Serious Fraud Office following the general election. "Folding the SFO into the [National Crime Agency] is neither necessary nor good for the prevention of serious fraud and other matters," says Hargreaves. "I would hope this gets pushed into the long grass and [Ms. ...
Tesco DPA shifts landscape for shareholder redress
March 29, 2017, Commercial Dispute Resolution
Ian Hargreaves is quoted in a Commercial Dispute Resolution article regarding the UK Serious Fraud Office’s deferred prosecution agreement with Tesco PLC for false accounting practices. According to Hargreaves, the FCA compensation scheme is of particular interest. “Although we are not privy to the details of the compensation package offered to shareholders and ...
The Morning Risk Report: Pondering Compliance With Potential Economic Crime Law in U.K.
March 29, 2017, The Wall Street Journal
Ian Hargreaves is quoted in The Wall Street Journal’s “Morning Risk Report” regarding the UK Ministry of Justice’s consultation on whether to create new legislation to cover failure to prevent economic crime. According to Hargreaves, “To be required to introduce further systems and controls covering a wide ranging area of economic or financial crime, in addition ...
SFO Marches On With Another DPA As US Parallels Emerge
March 28, 2017, Law360
Ian Hargreaves is quoted in a Law360 article regarding the UK Serious Fraud Office’s $161 million deferred prosecution agreement with Tesco PLC for skewing the prices of its shares and bonds with false accounting. “The arrangement with the [Financial Conduct Authority] is of particular interest,” says Hargreaves. “Although we are not privy to the details of the ...
February 3, 2017, Global Investigations Review
Ian Hargreaves and David Lorello are quoted in a Global Investigations Review article regarding Hargreaves’ recent arrival to Covington. According to Hargreaves, the firm’s “pre-eminence in dispute resolution, and its immense strength and global recognition as a market-leader in white-collar crime matters and investigations” fueled his decision. Lorello says, ...
January 31, 2017
LONDON—Ian Hargreaves has joined Covington as a partner in the firm’s European Dispute Resolution practice resident in London. Mr. Hargreaves’ arrival follows that of litigation partners Craig Pollack, Greg Lascelles, Elaine Whiteford, and Louise Freeman over the past six months. Mr. Hargreaves advises on major European white collar and related civil and ...
September 20, 2016
WASHINGTON—Global Investigations Review has named the Microsoft warrant access case as the winner of the “Most Important Court Case of the Year.” Covington served as co-counsel to Microsoft and helped secure a landmark win in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. GIR also ranked Covington among the top 15 investigations practices in the world in its ...
Covington recruits in London
September 12, 2016, Global Arbitration Review
Greg Lascelles and Alex Leitch are quoted in a Global Arbitration Review article regarding Lascelles’ recent arrival to Covington. “I am very excited to join this growing team,” says Lascelles. According to Leitch, the financial services sector attracts significant client demand and Lascelles’ arrival is a “welcome addition” to the practice.
June 3, 2016
NEW YORK—Covington advised the underwriters in connection with Repligen’s $115 million debt offering. The senior convertible notes due in 2021 were placed at 2.125 percent. Repligen is a bioprocessing company focused on the manufacture of Protein A ligands used by life science companies to purify biologic drugs such as monoclonal antibodies, recombinant ...
May 26, 2016, The Wall Street Journal
David Lorello is quoted in a Wall Street Journal article regarding a recent call to review the UK Serious Fraud Office’s (SFO) funding model after increased scrutiny of the SFO’s governance structure. According to Lorello, “The blockbuster funding has been a matter of significant public attention for some years now." He continues, “As with many government ...
April 21, 2016, Covington Alert
On April 5, 2016, the United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”), through the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, announced a one-year Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) enforcement pilot program (the “Pilot Program”) intended to motivate companies to voluntarily disclose FCPA-related misconduct and increase transparency around the Fraud Section’s approach ...
Gefährliche Mixtur
August 2015, JUVE
Quoting Adem Koyuncu on anti-corruption issues in the pharma sector.
- The American Lawyer - White Collar/Regulatory Litigation Department of the Year "Finalist" (2018)
- National Law Journal, "Washington Litigation Department of the Year" Finalist (2015)
- China Business Law Journal - China Business Law Awards, Anti-bribery and Anti-corruption Firm of the Year - International Firms (2020)
- Global Investigations Review recognized the firm's FCPA practice among Washington’s “elite,” the highest tier in its “Washington DC’s FCPA Bar” survey (2016).
- Global Investigations Review 30 (2016-2017)
- Global Investigations Review 100 (2015)
- Latinvex Top International Law Firms: Top FCPA & Fraud Firms (2016-2019)
- Chambers Global for Corporate Investigations: Anti-Corruption (2018-2020)
- Chambers USA for FCPA (2018-2019)
- Chambers Latin America for Fraud & Corporate Investigations (2017)
- Chambers Europe for Corporate Investigations (2017)
- Chambers UK for Financial Crime (2017)
- Legal 500 UK (2016)
- Legal 500 US (2016)
- Covington’s China anti-corruption practice was recognized by China Law & Practice as the Regulatory & Compliance Firm of the Year (2016).
- Eric Carlson was recognized by China Law & Practice as the Regulatory & Compliance Lawyer of the Year (2016).
- Recognized as a Leading Anti-Corruption Practice by Latin Lawyer (2015).
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Example: To find Covington’s representative matters, news, and insights related to product liability and mass tort defense class actions, take the following steps:
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