July 20178 Conducting bribery investigations within a multinational company across different geographies is time- consuming, costly, and disruptive. The old US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) model of investigations involving junior lawyers or local language contract attorneys poring over documents looking for the smoking gun brought significant fees for lawyers, but at the cost of the client having little control over a process that was inefficient and expensive.With the increasing prevalence of whistle blowing (spurred by monetary incentives in countries such as the US and in China) and companies wanting to demonstrate stronger commitment to ethical practices, investigations conducted by law firms (to avail themselves of attorney-client privilege) are in high demand. However, businesses have to manage challenges such as reduced margins, increased competition, and limited budgets, compounded by management who want allegations investigated and wrapped up quickly to reduce disruption. This has encouraged the legal industry to turn to innovative technology to streamline processes, develop efficiencies, and work more collaboratively with their clients.Case Management SoftwareManaging complex cross-jurisdictional investigations requires considerable time and effort: understanding local and global business models, liaising with in-house lawyers and business decision-makers both on the ground and at head office, instructing and coordinating local counsel and independent consultants to provide data imaging services and expert input such as financial analytics, all the while trying to keep a tight rein on the budget. In recent years, law firms have invested heavily in developing IN MY VIEWBY MINI VANDEPOL, CHAIR, GLOBAL COMPLIANCE & INVESTIGATIONS GROUP, BAKER MCKENZIE, HONG KONGTechnology Innovation in Corporate Anti-Corruption Investigations - The New Tools of the Trade for Law FirmsMini vandePol
< Page 7 | Page 9 >