European Practice - Corruption of Public Officials
Our White Collar Litigation practice was founded in response to foreign bribery controversies in the 1970's that sprang from the Watergate scandal and gave rise to the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
When the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions entered into force in 1999, the 29 member states of the OECD (including each of the 15 EU member states) committed themselves to the adoption of national legislation making it a crime to bribe foreign public officials. The successful negotiation and adoption of the Convention marked a significant step forward in the efforts of the US Administration to level the playing field for American businesses competing for major commercial contracts in international markets.
Within Europe, we regularly participate in the training of employees to ensure their familiarity with both the US statute and the equivalent national legislation in Europe. We assist clients with the implementation of compliance procedures among their international operations. We also provide advice with regard to specific transactions.
We are able to combine our local knowledge of European business practice with the considerable expertise of our business crimes specialists in Washington to resolve any problems that may arise as quickly and painlessly as possible.