Well-managed, efficient, and discreet internal investigations are increasingly necessary for businesses and not-for-profit entities in today’s challenging world.
The way an allegation of potential misconduct is investigated can often affect a company’s reputation as much as the alleged misconduct itself. It is vital for companies to have legal representation with the experience and judgment necessary to conduct internal investigations professionally and expeditiously. Bleakley Platt has a wealth of experience doing this kind of work on behalf of boards of directors, audit committees, special committees and other institutional clients, including higher level learning institutions. Businesses and not-for-profit institutions need to be prepared for the risks of serious civil, and potentially criminal, consequences of various forms of misconduct, and they need to have protocols and procedures in place to respond to such allegations quickly and fairly. An efficient, effective and discreet internal investigation is critically important. Internal investigations aim to uncover the truth about alleged misconduct within the organization, including allegations of
- Fraud, theft, or mismanagement of assets
- Unauthorized access to sensitive data, to manipulate data or to sell it
- Sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliatory conduct, or other inappropriate forms of behavior or communication in the workplace or other institutional environments
- Violations of Title IV
Bleakley Platt can assist with identifying internal policies, procedures or practices relevant to the events, investigating the allegations, and preparing reports with fact-finding and appropriate legal advice. We can also identify steps that the company may take to prevent future occurrence, and recommend appropriate remedial actions where allegations are found to be supported. As experienced litigators, we understand how best to create an accurate and well-documented investigation record. We fully understand the document hold process, best practices for appropriate and efficient email and other document collection and review, and witness interviews. We also know how to work with corporate counsel, internal auditors and external auditing firms to assemble and review a comprehensive record in a manner that minimizes the disruption and cost to our clients.
