(Newswire.net — April 29, 2021) —
Multinational companies are facing growing legal challenges worldwide while being subject to much closer scrutiny, particularly those in sectors such as banking and finance following the 2009 Global Financial Crisis. We are also seeing more fines and penalties being levied against businesses, with increasingly more aggressive regulatory enforcement actions being brought by government agencies worldwide. As individual nations seek to safeguard their reputation and image amid globalisation and the digital transformation – and show that they are willing to go to greater lengths to do so – white collar crimes like bribery, securities fraud, and money laundering are all attracting more attention and stricter penalties. We have also seen that individual nations are willing to coordinate and share information to better regulate conduct that takes place beyond their borders and, in many cases, online.
‘Best in White Collar Crime’
Over the last decade, Dechert’s position as a leader in white collar representation has very quickly grown as the white collar ‘landscape’ has changed. The firm’s London-based white collar partner, Caroline Black, who joined the firm in 2011 has been a key part in much of this expansion.
During her time at Dechert as a senior associate and, since 2015, partner, Black has acted as a trusted advisor to companies and individuals involved in the world’s largest and most complex cases. As a criminal defence lawyer, Ms. Black uses her experience to maintain an active compliance and advisory practice, focusing on the investigation and defence of business crimes involving money laundering, corruption and fraud.
Black also has significant practical experience in advising clients on how to respond to and defend criminal or regulatory prosecution, and how to effectively and compliantly manage raids on corporate and personal premises.
Prior to joining Dechert, Black trained and spent just short of nine years at a multinational commercial firm, DLA Piper.
“What I enjoy most about white collar investigations is that every day brings a different challenge. I’ve always been someone who thrives under pressure and I enjoy being at the ‘sharp end’ of the profession,” said Black in an interview with Lawdragon.
In 2020, Chambers UK ranked Caroline Black as an “Up and Coming” practitioner. She has also been recognised as a “Leading Individual” for regulatory investigations and corporate crime by The Legal 500 UK 2020 and a “Future Leader” in 2020 and 2019 by Who’s Who Legal.
These accolades come in addition to those received by Dechert’s white collar practice as a whole, which in January 2020 settled what is believed to be the first agreement with the UK’s Serious Fraud Office in a US$4 billion case involving Airbus, France’s Parquet National Financier, and the U.S. Departments of Justice and State. The settlement was described as the “Most Important Development of the Year” at the GIR Awards 2020.
In March, Black and her colleagues were named “Investigation Team of the Year” in the Women in Compliance Awards for their achievements by business intelligence organization C5.
Setting the Standard
It is the hard work by Caroline Black, her team, and other leading white collar lawyers that has enabled Dechert to establish itself as a leader and set the standard in white collar representation, particularly where large and complex corporate investigations are involved.
The team has successfully represented clients in all areas of white collar defence, including cases involving major non-U.S. regulators such as the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) and similar authorities throughout Europe and beyond.
Dechert’s top white collar capabilities aren’t limited to just the UK & Europe, though; other top lawyers are a part of the team globally. In late 2019, the firm appointed eminent law professor, former federal prosecutor, and white collar litigator Andrew S. Boutros as the U.S. Regional Chair of Dechert LLP’s white collar practice. Boutros is known for prosecuting corporate fraud and cybercrime cases, including the notable Silk Road case.
“Dechert’s strong international platform and prominent reputation in sensitive high stakes investigations and litigation present a great opportunity to serve market-leading clients, and I look forward to contributing to the global team,” Mr Boutros said in an announcement at the time.