Ethics Compliance and Whistleblower Response

Ogletree Deakins provides clients with innovative and business-oriented solutions to compliance issues across every facet of labor and employment law. Our lawyers work with clients to design effective compliance measures, assist in audits and investigations, and defend clients in relation to compliance as well as retaliation claims.

The rapid expansion of additional legislation and regulation related to employee anti-retaliation protections, especially for whistleblowing activities across a number of industries, requires that clients be able to access immediately lawyers with very specific and sophisticated knowledge and experience in counseling, investigating, and litigating under these laws.

Ogletree Deakins’ Ethics Compliance and Whistleblower Response Practice Group works with clients in handling compliance issues and other matters arising under the panoply of laws related to whistleblower activities, including the following: False Claims Act; Sarbanes-Oxley Act; Consumer Financial Protection Improvement Act; Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act; Energy Reorganization Act; Occupational Safety and Health Act; Mine Safety and Health Act; Wendell H. Ford Aviation and Reform Act for the 21st Century; Pipeline Safety Improvement Act; Surface Transportation Assistance Act; Toxic Substances Control Act; Solid Waste Disposal Act; Federal Water Pollution Control Act; and Clean Air Act.

Experience and Proactive Assistance

Our lawyers have deep experience representing clients in whistleblower matters. This includes the representation of clients in False Claims Act whistleblower retaliation and qui tam cases; Sarbanes-Oxley investigations and litigation; Dodd-Frank investigations; Occupational Safety and Health Act retaliation investigations and litigation; and investigations and litigation under other industry-specific anti-retaliation laws.

We are able to assist clients in connection with:

Training
Counseling
Audits
Policy design and review
Procedure design and review
Document retention design and review
Internal investigations
Agency representation
Litigation and appeals

Effective Handling of Sensitive Matters

Our lawyers work with our clients directly, as well as with corporate compliance counsel and appropriate subject matter experts, to ensure compliance, thorough and responsible investigations, and vigorous and effective defense of claims related to these laws. We work with clients to solve highly-sensitive situations involving key executives and assist clients in managing comprehensive workplace crises. Our excellent working relationships and track record of credibility with investigative and enforcement agencies work to our clients’ benefit in these sensitive and high-profile matters of central concern to their businesses.

In addition, our lawyers are mindful that every whistleblower complaint carries the risk of a subsequent retaliation claim. Accordingly, our practice group lawyers can assist our clients in developing best practices for responding to the challenges of managing a whistleblowing investigation to manage that risk successfully and assist our clients in following those practices in real time.