Matt Stankiewicz, Partner at The Volkov Law Group, joins us for a post on the recent scandal at OpenSea, the cryptocurrency industry’s preeminent NFT marketplace. Matt can be contacted at [email protected]. The crypto industry is abuzz with a recent scandal involving OpenSea, the largest NFT marketplace in the industry (for those not in the know, NFT stands for non-fungible token, and the most common use...
Companies are starting to understand that an effective internal investigation program is a critical function to promote a speak up culture. A company that has a dysfunctional internal investigation program will find it difficult to prevent and detect misconduct. To this end, companies have to commit to a multi-step review and improvement process for its internal investigation program. This is an exercise that is limited...
The Volkov Law Group has scheduled a free webinar on DOJ’s New Compliance Program Guidance for May 9, 2019, at 12 noon EST. Sign up HERE. The Justice Department’s new Corporate Compliance Guidance is keyed to the concept of a “well-designed compliance program.” Under this concept, we first examined risk assessments and policies and procedures. DOJ’s Corporate Compliance Guidance also addresses training and communications, reporting...
Corporations have to invest in their Speak Up Culture. A critical component is a company’s hotline and incident reporting system. An effective hotline reporting channel(s) depends on responsive and timely investigations of potential wrongdoing. In this Episode, Michael Volkov discusses best practices for hotline and reporting systems.
Webinar: How to Implement an Effective Internal Investigation Program Tuesday, February 6, 2018, 12 noon EST SIGN UP HERE An effective ethics and compliance program depends on an efficient internal investigation function. Corporations have to design and implement an internal investigation system that is fair, timely and reliable. To do so, companies need to identify risks, assign resources, monitor investigations and mete out disciplinary actions....
I like to repeat myself – attorneys are valuable for only two reasons: (1) attorney-client privilege; and (2) advice of counsel defense. I know I am not supposed to denigrate my profession but these are two important reasons, especially the attorney-client privilege. In the context of corporate internal investigations, the attorney-client privilege is an essential tool when conducting internal investigations involving serious issues. I am...
The Volkov Law Group continues to offer innovative legal services focused on ethics and compliance programs, enforcement defense, and internal investigations. See Firm website here. The Volkov Law Group team includes talented professionals: Lauren Connell, Managing Associate; Jacqui Martin (formerly Merrill), Senior Associate; Susan Simpson, Associate; Matt Stankiewicz, Associate; and Vincent Ruiz, Counsel. See Firm profiles here. The Volkov Law Group believes that every company...
In my final posting on ISO 37001, I review requirements for training, raising concerns and internal investigations as part of a company’s anti-bribery risk management system. I could certainly write more on ISO 37001 because there are other issues that I have not addressed, including audits, assessments and reviews of the anti-bribery risk management system. In this posting, it is important to identify and tailor...
We all know it when we see it – a company with a weak corporate culture of ethics and compliance. Many companies claim they have an ethical culture but few really do. With increasing emphasis and understanding of the tangible benefits of an ethical culture, companies are striving to achieve such a goal. Unfortunately, there is no single solution to companies that want to establish...
CCOs face many challenges in their jobs. One area that is difficult but usually can be solved with common sense is where to draw the line on attorney-client privilege issues. As a practicing attorney, I can attest to the importance of the attorney-client privilege. It is a principle that is critical to the functioning of a corporation or any other organization. Communications for the purpose...
