A government investigation can consume a company long before anyone is charged, and the early choices about cooperation and disclosure shape how it ends. We represent companies and executives in matters before the DOJ, SEC, FTC, state attorneys general, and other agencies, controlling the process from the first contact and keeping the legal exposure and the business impact in view together.
Subpoena And CID Response
Responding to a subpoena, civil investigative demand, or informal request is where the case is often won or lost. We negotiate scope, manage collection and privilege review, and decide what to produce and what to push back on, balancing genuine cooperation against the need to protect your rights and privileged material. Done carefully, the response demonstrates good faith without handing the government a roadmap it has not earned.
Privileged Internal Investigation
Before you can respond credibly to the government, you need to know what actually happened. We conduct internal investigations under privilege, reviewing documents and interviewing witnesses to establish the facts and surface problems on your terms rather than the regulator's. That clear factual picture lets us decide whether to cooperate, contest, or self-report, instead of reacting to whatever the government raises next.
Witness And Testimony Preparation
Employee interviews and testimony can help or sink an investigation depending on preparation. We prepare company witnesses for agency interviews, depositions, and testimony so their answers are accurate, complete, and consistent with the record, without coaching them past the truth. We also counsel witnesses on their own rights and exposure, which matters when individual and company interests start to diverge.
Negotiated Resolutions
Most investigations end in a negotiated outcome rather than a trial, and the terms vary enormously. We negotiate settlements, consent decrees, deferred prosecution arrangements, and, where the facts support it, declinations, working to limit penalties, admissions, and ongoing oversight. The aim is a resolution your business can actually live with, including compliance obligations you can meet without inviting the next inquiry.