WHITE-COLLAR CRIME AND INVESTIGATIONS
Milbank ranks among the top firms in the increasingly important field of representing institutions and individuals facing investigation or prosecution by the government or other regulatory bodies. We have built a strong team of former federal prosecutors and SEC attorneys, each with substantial government experience. At Milbank, our white-collar practitioners have maintained relationships with their former colleagues in the public sector, while effectively advocating for our clients. The key to our success is our lawyers’ well-honed ability to master complex business practice and transactions and thorough knowledge of the relevant legal concepts and recent developments and practices in this fast-moving area.
As an international firm, with world-class corporate lawyers and securities litigators, Milbank has the advantages of a boutique practice--without the resource limitations of the small firms that also specialize in white-collar defense and government investigation.
Financial institutions and public companies turn to Milbank lawyers for our “deep bench” of lawyers with a sophisticated knowledge of many relevant areas, such as bankruptcy, banking, and SEC requirements for corporate clients. Within the litigation department itself are expert civil litigators who provide valuable advice on crucial aspects of the practice, such as the collateral effects of events in a government investigation or prosecution. Milbank’s large litigation practice, with nearly 200 partners, associates and Of Counsel, is supported by skilled discovery attorneys and state-of-the-art technology. We have the resources to handle large-scale document productions, and the know-how to respond efficiently and speedily to government subpoenas and other requests for information.
Investigations by the SEC, NASD and NYSE (now known as FINRA), and other financial regulators are a specialty of our white-collar practice. Allegations in these investigations have included options back-dating; “market-timing” in mutual funds; financial fraud; gifts and gratuities by broker-dealers; and specialist trading on the NYSE and regional exchanges. We have represented numerous senior officers of large financial institutions and public companies, among others, in SEC testimony or interviews. Our lawyers have crafted numerous persuasive Wells Submissions, and served clients well in the SEC’s negotiation process—the privacy of which precludes any detailed description.
Our cadre of former prosecutors has been at the forefront representing clients in criminal investigations involving the student loan scandal, reinsurance products, the U.N. food-for-oil scandal, Internet gambling and tax shelters. Major financial institutions have turned to Milbank and its experienced lawyers, at a time of urgent need for cutting-edge knowledge in the shifting landscape of business crime.
Internal investigations on behalf of Audit Committees and others are also a specialty of our white-collar practice. Whether the need is to respond to an anonymous complaint by a whistleblower or determine for a board of directors the basis for an SEC investigation, our attorneys have the skills and resources to probe effectively and thoroughly, both through interviews and analysis of documents. We have expertise in investigating possible FCPA violations, conflicts of interest, and corporate misconduct of many varieties.