Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

Companies involved in cross-border transactions face numerous regulatory hurdles relating to the export and re-export of sensitive goods and technologies; investments and other dealings having national security implications; and relationships with persons and entities that may be governed by U.S. economic sanctions, anti-money laundering and anti-corruption laws.

In today’s climate, government and whistleblower allegations of False Claims Act (FCA) violations pose an increasingly significant threat to many corporations. State attorneys general are conducting more frequent investigations and asserting claims under state laws modeled around the federal False Claims Act. More qui tam actions are being filed each year as the opportunity for and incidences of significant whistleblower monetary awards increase.

Our team – which includes more than a dozen former federal prosecutors and Assistant U.S. Attorneys, several of whom held leadership positions in these roles – represent companies and their officers, directors and employees in complex criminal fraud investigations, internal investigations, and civil and qui tam litigation. We work across numerous industries, including government contractors, healthcare, defense, higher education, financial consulting, technology and life sciences.

When a company is faced with a securities class action or shareholder derivative litigation, they need a partner who understands what is at stake and can think outside the box to achieve resolution. Goodwin’s deep experience, creative thinking and tenacity has led to our involvement in precedent-setting securities cases in courts across the country. The results we achieve are best of breed and have helped shape the law nationally, including outright dismissals of billions of dollars in putative class action and shareholder derivative claims. Our cases range from defending high tech and biotech companies in class action securities fraud litigation brought following restatements of earnings or the release of bad business news, to resolving shareholder derivative challenges, to multibillion dollar mergers and acquisitions.