Tag Archives: F. Joseph Warin

China Constricts Sharing of In-Country Corporate and Personal Data Through New Legislation

by Patrick F. Stokes, Oliver Welch, Nicole Lee, Ning Ning, Kelly S. Austin, Judith Alison Lee, Adam M. Smith, John D.W. Partridge, F. Joseph Warin, Joel M. Cohen, Ryan T. Bergsieker, Stephanie Brooker, John W.F. Chesley, Connell O’Neill, Richard Roeder, Michael Scanlon, Benno Schwarz, Alexander H. Southwell, and Michael Walther

The People’s Republic of China is clamping down on the extraction of litigation- and investigation-related corporate and personal data from China—and this may squeeze litigants and investigation subjects in the future.  Under a new data security law enacted late last week and an impending personal information protection law, China is set to constrict sharing broad swaths of personal and corporate data outside its borders.  Both statutes would require companies to obtain the approval of a yet-to-be-identified branch of the Chinese government before providing data to non-Chinese judicial or law enforcement entities.  As detailed below, these laws could have far-reaching implications for companies and individuals seeking to provide data to foreign courts or enforcement agencies in the context of government investigations or litigation, and appear to expand the data transfer restrictions set forth in other recent Chinese laws.[1]

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DOJ Updates Guidance Regarding Its “Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs”

by F. Joseph Warin, Patrick Stokes, Michael Diamant, Laura Sturges, Chris Sullivan, Oleh Vretsona, Courtney Brown, Lora MacDonald, Caroline Ziser Smith, and Patricia Herold

On Monday, June 1, 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) Criminal Division issued, without fanfare, updated guidance on the “Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs” (the “Compliance Program Update” or “Update”), which sets out considerations for DOJ prosecutors to take into account when assessing corporate compliance programs, making charging decisions, and negotiating resolutions. Previous iterations of the document (covered in our 2017 Mid-Year FCPA Update and May 3, 2019 Client Alert) have been a valuable resource for companies as they design, maintain, and evaluate their corporate compliance programs, and the Update provides welcome insight into how DOJ’s thinking is evolving, particularly with respect to risk assessments, monitoring, and resources. Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski noted that the Update “reflects additions based on [DOJ’s] own experience and important feedback from the business and compliance communities.” Continue reading →

To Disclose or Not to Disclose: Analyzing the Consequences of Voluntary Self-Disclosure for Financial Institutions

by F. Joseph Warin, M. Kendall Day, Stephanie L. Brooker, Adam M. Smith, Linda Noonan, Elissa N. Baur, Stephanie L. Connor, Alexander R. Moss, and Jaclyn M. Neely.

One of the most frequently discussed white collar issues of late has been the benefits of voluntarily self-disclosing to the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) allegations of misconduct involving a corporation.  This is the beginning of periodic analyses of white collar issues unique to financial institutions, and in this issue we examine whether and to what extent a financial institution can expect a benefit from DOJ for a voluntary self-disclosure (“VSD”), especially with regard to money laundering or Bank Secrecy Act violations.  Although the public discourse regarding VSDs tends to suggest that there are benefits to be gained, a close examination of the issue specifically with respect to financial institutions shows that the benefits that will confer in this area, if any, are neither easy to anticipate nor to quantify.  A full consideration of whether to make a VSD to DOJ should include a host of factors beyond the quantifiable benefit, ranging from the likelihood of independent enforcer discovery; to the severity, duration, and evidentiary support for a potential violation; and to the expectations of prudential regulators and any associated licensing or regulatory consequences, as well as other factors.  Continue reading →