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12 May 2011 / Tracey Stretton
Issue: 7465 / Categories: Features , Bribery , Regulatory , Profession
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Managing global corruption

Tracey Stretton offers some strategies for avoiding & managing regulatory violations

Last year the US government levied hefty fines against businesses engaged in corrupt practices. Daimler AG agreed to pay $185m in fines and penalties and BAE Systems plc paid a $400m criminal fine to the US government and a €30m fine to UK regulators. The US is not alone in its quest to stamp out bribery and corruption—there has been a global increase in investigations, not only into bribery and corruption, but also into cartels and breaches of securities laws.

EU cartel settlements reached £3bn in 2010 with more potentially significant cases in the pipeline (“Rise in EU Anti-trust Settlements Anticipated”, 23 December 2010, FT.com). There has also been an expansion of the scope of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in the US.

Regulators are extending their territorial reach, co-operating across borders and talking about becoming more proactive in seeking out corrupt practices. Given the severe penalties and reputational damage associated with regulatory breaches companies need to adopt a proactive

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Haynes Boone—Jeremy Cross

Haynes Boone—Jeremy Cross

Firm strengthens global fund finance practice with London partner hire.

DWF—Stephen Webb

DWF—Stephen Webb

Partner and head of national planning team appointed

mfg Solicitors—Nick Little

mfg Solicitors—Nick Little

Corporate team expands in Birmingham with partner hire

NEWS
The High Court’s refusal to recognise a prolific sperm donor as a child’s legal parent has highlighted the risks of informal conception arrangements, according to Liam Hurren, associate at Kingsley Napley, in NLJ this week
The Court of Appeal’s decision in Mazur may have settled questions around litigation supervision, but the profession should not simply ‘move on’, argues Jennifer Coupland, CEO of CILEX, in this week's NLJ
A simple phrase like ‘subject to references’ may not protect employers as much as they think. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, analyses recent employment cases showing how conditional job offers can still create binding contracts

An engagement ring may symbolise romance, but the courts remain decidedly practical about who keeps it after a split, writes Mark Pawlowski, barrister and professor emeritus of property law at the University of Greenwich, in this week's NLJ

Medical reporting organisation fees have become ‘the final battleground’ in modern costs litigation, says Kris Kilsby, costs lawyer at Peak Costs and council member of the Association of Costs Lawyers, in this week's NLJ
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