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Investigations

Overview

Regulatory, law-enforcement, and internal investigations can pose significant challenges. They can also serve as a means to demonstrate and defend compliant behavior, establish credibility, identify and remediate potential issues, and mitigate potential legal, financial, and reputational exposure.

Efficient, battle-tested, and possessing extensive regulatory, law enforcement, and industry experience, our 40+ member global Investigations Practice has defended clients in matters across more than 80 countries. Our lawyers help companies, boards of directors, board committees, and senior executives:

  • Conduct credible and effective internal investigations
  • Respond to law enforcement inquiries, subpoenas, government investigations, and Congressional investigations
  • Develop and implement effective compliance programs

When disputes cannot be settled, our highly regarded litigation teams leverage first-hand prosecutorial and defense experience to provide effective representation in trials and appeals at every level.

Right People: Experience drives strategy 

Investigations require more than fact finding — they arise within industry-specific regulatory and law-enforcement environments, and their processes and results must be integrated into a company’s overall mission, strategy, and goals. Our firm possesses an unparalleled level of knowledge and perspective gained from years of first-hand experience handling all aspects of the investigative process.

We include in our ranks more than 20 former U.S. attorneys, Assistant U.S. attorneys, and Department of Justice (DOJ) supervisors and trial attorneys, as well as former enforcement attorneys and supervisors from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), former state and local prosecutors, a former DOJ’s Enron Task Force member, life-long defense attorneys, and numerous other practitioners whose credentials and subject-matter experience are second to none.

Many of our team members have obtained substantive expertise serving in top leadership positions for state and federal agencies, including:

    •  
      • Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)
      • Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN)
      • Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
      • Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
      • Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
      • Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
      • Department of Defense (DOD)
      • Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
      • Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)
      • Inspector General – National Intelligence

Right Approach: Cross-disciplinary and client collaboration

Crowell’s investigations practice distinguishes itself by tapping into our firm’s deep regulatory roots and substantive knowledge in areas like antitrust, white collar, government contracts, health care, international trade and sanctions, labor and employment, and privacy and cybersecurity. We also make sure we understand our clients’ businesses, resources, and risk tolerance, and staff matters across the firm’s offices and practice areas to deliver cost-effective service, exceptional counsel, and practical solutions that minimize legal, business and reputational risks.

We work seamlessly with our clients to efficiently and effectively conduct domestic and international white-collar criminal and regulatory investigations in the following areas, among others:

Right Results: Resolving disputes, delivering success

Our clients offer the strongest evidence of our ability to deliver results. More than a quarter of Fortune 100 companies trust and rely upon Crowell to conduct internal risk assessments and investigations and defend them against regulatory and law-enforcement actions.

Our results also speak for themselves: We have helped clients resolve hundreds of investigations through trial victories, declinations, non-prosecution agreements, deferred prosecution agreements and other favorable resolution terms. And those results have been recognized in leading legal and industry journals and ratings agencies such as Chambers, Law360, Global Investigations Review, The Best Lawyers in America, New York Law Journal, Super Lawyers and more, many of which source direct client feedback.

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Insights

Client Alert | 5 min read | 02.20.25

Declaration of No Independence: President Trump Asserts Control Over Independent Agencies Through Executive Order

On February 18, President Trump issued an Executive Order titled “Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies” that directs independent agencies (as well as Cabinet Departments and their sub-agencies) to route all “proposed and final significant regulatory” and budgetary actions through the White House and the Office of Management and Budget. If implemented to its full extent, this action will significantly strengthen the authority of the White House by weakening the political autonomy of these independent agencies. As an assertion of the President’s inherent powers under Article II of the U.S. Constitution, it also stands to weaken congressional influence over these independent agencies, both through the appropriations and confirmation processes....

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Professionals

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Insights

Client Alert | 5 min read | 02.20.25

Declaration of No Independence: President Trump Asserts Control Over Independent Agencies Through Executive Order

On February 18, President Trump issued an Executive Order titled “Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies” that directs independent agencies (as well as Cabinet Departments and their sub-agencies) to route all “proposed and final significant regulatory” and budgetary actions through the White House and the Office of Management and Budget. If implemented to its full extent, this action will significantly strengthen the authority of the White House by weakening the political autonomy of these independent agencies. As an assertion of the President’s inherent powers under Article II of the U.S. Constitution, it also stands to weaken congressional influence over these independent agencies, both through the appropriations and confirmation processes....

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Practices

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Insights

Client Alert | 5 min read | 02.20.25

Declaration of No Independence: President Trump Asserts Control Over Independent Agencies Through Executive Order

On February 18, President Trump issued an Executive Order titled “Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies” that directs independent agencies (as well as Cabinet Departments and their sub-agencies) to route all “proposed and final significant regulatory” and budgetary actions through the White House and the Office of Management and Budget. If implemented to its full extent, this action will significantly strengthen the authority of the White House by weakening the political autonomy of these independent agencies. As an assertion of the President’s inherent powers under Article II of the U.S. Constitution, it also stands to weaken congressional influence over these independent agencies, both through the appropriations and confirmation processes....

View All Insights