The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly: Ethical Internal Investigations (Update)

Corporate internal investigations dealing with possible (or actual) wrongdoing have become increasingly popular. CEOs and boards of directors sometimes seem to order these investigations as a matter of course. While there are numerous good reasons to proceed with an internal investigation, there are many downsides and risks that lawyers need to consider when advising their clients.

This program, taught by C. Evan Stewart, a Senior Partner at Cohen & Gresser LLP, will discuss how to conduct investigations under the protections of the attorney-client privilege and work product doctrine, review issues when dealing with governmental regulators, ethical challenges in handling these investigations, the risks to lawyers inherent in such investigations, how English law differs on how investigations can be handled, and (from very prominent litigation) how not to handle an investigation.

Learning Objectives:

1. Analyze the reasons to conduct internal investigations

2. Identify the risks to the corporate client when investigations are not handled correctly (e.g. the "shield and the sword doctrine", the viability of "selective waiver", whether or not "oral downloads" work, the challenge of interacting with auditors, the "bloodhound" factor, the "silver platter doctrine", and more)

3. Assess the ethical issues facing lawyers who conduct investigations, as well as other professional risks attendant to doing work in this area

4. Contrast English law that governs corporate investigations in order to understand what risks it poses, and how to (potentially) protect your client

5. Appreciate the dangers of handling an investigation the wrong way by a deconstruction of a very prominent litigation