Global Compliance

As more countries ramp up regulation across disciplines, from anti-corruption to trade controls, the challenges of doing business globally grow increasingly complex. With more than 120 former government officials around the world, Covington understands governments and the factors driving increased regulation. Our integrated compliance offering provides “one-stop shopping,” coordinating strategies across regulatory disciplines and accounting for the nuances of particular jurisdictions and agencies. Covington’s top-ranked, multi-disciplinary team gives your business a competitive advantage.

Covington provides rare sophistication across a wide range of regulatory regimes in the United States, Europe, China and beyond. Our capabilities span anti-corruption; anti-money laundering; antitrust and competition; consumer product safety compliance; election and political law; employment, employee benefits and executive compensation; government contracts; international trade controls; import compliance and customs; privacy and data security; public policy; and white collar defense and investigations capabilities.

Our team includes a deep bench of lawyers who formerly served in senior roles with a broad spectrum of government bodies, including the U.S. Departments of Justice, Commerce, Treasury, State, Homeland Security and Defense; the Federal Trade Commission; the United Nations; the European Parliament; and the Committee of Permanent Representatives to the European Union. Many of our lawyers have also managed corporate compliance functions in-house, and all of our lawyers appreciate our clients’ need for pragmatic, efficient advice.

Even as regulatory requirements expand, compliance departments are being asked to do more with less. This trend puts a premium on efficient approaches to compliance, with customized programs tailored to the needs of the company that minimize unnecessary procedures and leverage processes in one area to achieve multiple regulatory goals.

We assist with the development, updating, and review of global compliance programs for major multinationals, as well as with due diligence reviews and day-to-day advice on regulatory developments. We move swiftly to protect you in enforcement scenarios—from ‘dawn raids’ to subpoenas to internal whistleblowing. As regulators around the world increasingly target individuals, even requiring criminal pleas, our practical experience is more critical than ever.