When Should You Hire A Regulatory Defense Lawyer?
Lesley Brovner & Mark Peters
April 24, 2023
Government agencies regulate many facets of business and nonprofit life. Failing to comply with these agencies’ rules and regulations can have dire consequences including fines and penalties, as well as being prevented from future participation in government programs.
A regulatory attorney can help keep your company or nonprofit in compliance with all relevant rules and regulations. If your company fails to comply, a regulatory attorney can help you take corrective action, and negotiate with the government to prevent excessive fines and penalties from being imposed.
What are Regulatory Matters?
Regulatory matters involve adherence to laws, regulations, guidelines and specifications established by the government. Violations of regulatory compliance often result in legal punishment for individuals and organizations, including fines and debarment from future government programs and contracts. Regulatory matters also include holding the government accountable for remaining in compliance with their own rules, regulations and contractual obligations.
What Is a Regulatory Defense Lawyer?
Regulatory defense lawyers represent companies, nonprofits and individuals facing scrutiny from government (city, state or federal) regulators.
When hiring a regulatory defense attorney, it is important to work with someone who has experience dealing with the government agency in question.
Situations That May Require Hiring a Regulatory Defense Lawyer
It is important to remain in compliance with government rules and regulations and to respond timely and completely to governmental inquiries.
You should consider hiring a regulatory defense attorney if:
- You have received a letter or subpoena or other request from a government agency seeking information about your company or nonprofit.
- You are under investigation by a government agency.
- A government agency has begun enforcement proceedings against your company or nonprofit.
- You need to get and keep your company in compliance with city, state and federal laws, regulations, guidelines and specifications established by the government and you need to develop and implement compliance programs and training.
What type of work do regulatory attorneys do?
Regulatory attorneys handle various types of legal issues, including:
- Providing legal advice concerning how to get and keep your organization in compliance with various city, state and federal laws, rules and regulations.
- Conducting detailed internal investigations to help organizations determine whether they are following all relevant city, state and federal rules and regulations.
- Creating compliance plans to ensure that organizations get into and remain in compliance with all relevant city, state and federal rules and regulations.
- Working to hold the government accountable for remaining in compliance with their own rules, regulations and contractual obligations. For example, when the government fails to keep people in care (whether in schools or hospitals or jails) safe or fails to make timely payments on their contractual obligations.
Benefits Of Hiring a Regulatory Defense Lawyer:
If your company or nonprofit is under investigation by a regulatory agency, it is essential to have an experienced regulatory attorney to represent you. Not only can such counsel guide you through the process — and avoid common mistakes that make the situation worse — but they will have experience negotiating settlements with the agency involved, to try to minimize any penalty to be assessed.
An experienced regulatory attorney can quickly and efficiently conduct a detailed internal investigation to help your organization determine whether they are following all relevant city, state and federal rules and regulations. If not, the attorney can help create a comprehensive compliance plan to ensure that your organization gets into and remain in compliance with all relevant city, state and federal rules and regulations.
Finally, an experienced attorney with a proven track record and knowledge of how government agencies work and think, can help you frame the issues you want to bring to the government’s attention in the way best calculated to resonate with the agency in question.
How To Choose The Right Regulatory Defense Lawyer
It is important to hire a lawyer who is familiar with the governmental agency that you are dealing with and has experience both working inside and outside of the government to help you make an informed decision about how to proceed.
The regulatory attorneys at the law offices of Peters Brovner LLP have decades of experience working for the government and have successfully represented both plaintiffs and defendants in matters involving governmental and private institutions.
The firm focuses on holding governmental agencies accountable for following their own rules, regulations and contractual obligations. The firm also has extensive experience dealing with city and state regulatory matters. If you or someone you know needs legal advice, please contact the lawyers at Peters Brovner LLP for a free consultation.