The Expected and Unexpected Compliance Risks from the Coronavirus

The coronavirus has wreaked dramatic and profound changes to our economy and businesses. So the compliance risks that companies face must be dramatically different as well, right?  In this discussion, three white collar practitioners experienced in investigating compliance failures and building state of the art corporate compliance programs will explain that the impacts of the coronavirus on compliance programs cannot be so easily generalized and the responses must be particularized as well.

In this Briefing, Vinson & Elkins LLP partners Matthew J. Jacobs, a former federal prosecutor, Jessica S. Heim, an experienced litigator in the area of government investigations, and Michael W. Ward, former prosecutor and in-house chief compliance officer in multiple companies and industries, explore the impact that the pandemic has on the effectiveness of corporate compliance programs.

They will cover:

• Which business compliance risks are increased in the post-coronavirus environment and which risk levels may be unchanged
• How widespread predictions of government crackdowns on coronavirus-related fraud further highlight the need for caution
• Why past compliance issues may be more likely to be revealed than current misconduct
• The easy appeal and hidden danger of making the “diving catch” for the business by granting exceptions during the period of “crisis”
• The unglamorous but critical need for compliance teams to focus on consistent execution amid the many distractions of working from home
• How procrastinating and rationalizing against hard choices will be viewed in the future with the luxury of hindsight