Recent News

Clients often call us for advice on investigating their employees and competitors.  They really want the benefit of recorded clandestine conversations, of following employees to catch them in the act of meeting with the competition, of an evening ‘stake-out’ to catch the theft and passing of trade secrets.  Some extremely few times, this is merited; most often it is not.  And the way clients often try to do surveillance can be illegal, and even if successful, can produce evidence barred from use in court.

Unlike the financial industry scandals of 2008, bank regulators are now increasingly holding institutions and individuals accountable for financial loss.  On January 23, 2020, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”) announced it had resolved its administrative action against former Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf wherein he agreed to a lifetime prohibition from the banking industry and $17.5 million-dollar civil money penalty (“CMP”).  Other former senior bank management agreed to pay CMPs in the millions.  On the same day, the OCC issued a notice of charges against five former senior bank executives seeking similar sanctions.