Global Litigator: Anticorruption Litigation Does Not Stop at the Water’s Edge

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Globalization has brought forth a bounty of opportunities for companies seeking to explore new markets and engineer products and services to meet a growing customer base. However, with each opportunity comes risk and responsibility. Amid this growth potential, multinational corporations, whether they realize it or not, are facing greater corruption risks and anticorruption compliance responsibilities that transcend borders. The legal and compliance community should know by now that the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) is no longer the only game in town, and global litigators must be ready to face multifront assaults on their clients.

Just as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Department of Justice have illustrated their commitment to the fight against corruption through increased U.S. enforcement efforts and the newly released FCPA Resource Guide, many other countries have adopted parallel anticorruption legislation, implemented new regulations, and increased anticorruption enforcement activities. At the cusp of these global anticorruption developments are the United Kingdom, India, China, Canada, Australia, and a host of emerging market countries, joining together to tighten the noose on corruption across the market spectrum.