Increasingly, federal, state and local governments are relying upon the criminal justice system as a means of regulatory enforcement. Disputes which in the past were the subject of hearings or negotiations before administrative boards or hearing offices, are more and more often being considered for criminal prosecution. Bryan Cave's national White Collar Defense and Investigations Group provides corporations, businesses and individuals with representation by lawyers who are knowledgeable in the areas of federal regulation and have experience in the preparation for and trial of complex criminal matters.

Many members of the group are former prosecutors at the federal, state or local level or are former governmental agency staff counsel with experience representing companies and individuals who are the subject of governmental inquiries ranging from administrative proceedings to grand jury investigations to forfeiture proceedings. The Group works closely with clients to prevent or minimize formal charges by providing counsel and guidance during governmental investigations as well as handling highly publicized matters involving the Federal Government, including the Departments of Defense and Justice, the Internal Revenue Service, the Securities Exchange Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency — as well as state Attorneys General and local prosecutors.

Members of the Group provide counseling, internal company investigations, and compliance audits to assist senior executives in eliminating potentially unlawful conduct and evaluating the strength of company internal policies and procedures designed to detect and reduce criminal conduct. Such internal compliance audits and internal investigations may preclude the return of an indictment or minimize the ability of the government to impose onerous civil penalties. The adoption of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines for corporations virtually requires corporations and businesses in highly regulated industries to engage in such self scrutiny in order to evaluate the implications of the guidelines upon their business practices.

Regardless of the nature of the issue or the stage to which any investigation or proceeding has progressed, Bryan Cave's White Collar Defense and Investigations Group has the resources and experience to see you through this complex area of the law.