Compliance Counseling

Compliance counseling may be a bit of an odd duck whose time has come none too soon for those who run complex businesses in the 21st century. It isn’t easy staying on the right side of the law and still make certain that all transactions, mergers and acquisitions and other deals are conducted ethically and most importantly, in compliance with the law.

Corporate governance is often fraught with a variety of multifaceted problems that occur every day. Knowing how to stay on the up and up and be ethical in all business dealings according to the law is a task that many business executives find very little time to accomplish. Whether the top management of an organization knows and understands the law or not, issues in the area of compliance counseling change rapidly. At Miller Leonard, PC, we’re on top of those changes and able to advise you on internal investigations, handle civil litigation if required, criminal defense and any issues dealing with corporate governance.

Our intention is to ensure your company is able to improve your ability to do business ethically and in compliance with the law. We know how to prevent and detect any violations, to identify and manage risks and how to implement a complete corporate infrastructure well versed on ethical conduct. Our experience will be your experience when we discuss compliance counseling.

Keep in mind that any regulator or prosecutor who wishes to bring a criminal or civil action is basing their decision, and the possible penalties (civil or criminal) on the quality and extent of a company’s compliance system(s). All the more reason to make sure your company is in compliance and all the T’s are crossed and the I’s dotted accordingly.

It isn’t just that your company needs to be legally compliant and ethically sound to be “acceptable.” There is also the public perception of what you do and how you do it floating about the community. If that public perception is less than stellar and they feel you’re internal controls are ripe for various charges, this tends to increase private claims against the company and may do untold damage to the company reputation. Consider Enron as an example of what you do not want to do with your corporate governance.

At the Miller Leonard, PC, we have the ability to assist our clients design and implement various compliance programs. Our approach is unique in that we view compliance from the standpoint of the government. In other words, if you are under investigation, how is the government going to view your organization? With that in mind, it is crucial that your compliance program incorporate the United States Sentencing Guidelines and that your business ethics plan anticipate and proactively address areas of potential illegal activities.

We have the ability to create programs that effectively cover your business and legal obligations. The firm has past experience in helping develop and shape Foreign Corrupt Practice Act programs, Medicare and Medicaid compliance programs, as well as business ethics programs. Our past experience working in and for both state and federal government agencies enables the creation of workable, meaningful compliance solutions.

Here are some of the things Miller Leonard, PC, does for your company:

• Strategize overall systems design and implementation in your workplace
• Conduct risk assessments to identify existing and potential areas of non-compliance
• Create and review codes of conduct
• Develop programs/procedures for specific compliance issues
• Offer advice on information and document management issues, including privacy, electronic communications and document retention.

We tailor our work and programs to what you need. We’re innovative, offer out of the box solutions and insist that quality before quantity. In other words, we work with you one-on-one to achieve what you need to be in compliance while running your business. We have extensive practical, hands-on experience to make your business run effectively, efficiently, smoothly and most importantly, in compliance with the appropriate rules and regulations.