Congressional Investigations

Cahill guides corporations, executives, and financial institutions as they navigate the broad spectrum of unique procedures, challenges, and high stakes created by congressional investigations and hearings. These public processes can jeopardize longstanding corporate reputations and cause irreparable harm to the trusting relationships built with customers, financial markets, and key stakeholders.

Clients subjected to congressional scrutiny often face a variety of collateral reputational and legal risks, which may include the threat of civil litigation and investigations by regulators or other state, federal, or international bodies. Cahill offers a multi-disciplinary legal team with the experience and knowledge to help clients manage the full range of public, political, legal, and reputational risks they may encounter.

Abiding by separate rules, processes, powers, and goals separate from any other government body, congressional investigations present unique conflicts, considerations, and risks at a breakneck pace. These inquiries often bring crushing waves of media attention and require materially different approaches from courtroom cases or those involving regulators. Drawing from the deep high level government experience of our partners, Cahill offers clients an insider perspective, which includes the ability to anticipate government decisions and preemptively form strategies to navigate scrutiny effectively.

Cahill’s team stands ready to lead clients through these difficult situations from start to finish, building a strategy to handle every aspect of the investigation and its parallel risks, all while working closely with in-house counsel, government relations professionals, and public affairs experts. Cahill leverages the specialized skills and knowledge required to counsel clients safely throughout the process, from responding to the first committee inquiry, to leading internal fact finding, to answering document and information requests or subpoenas, and preparing witnesses for testimony. Witness preparation includes helping develop positive messaging and testimony that both aligns with the client’s broader communications strategy and resonates with the varying priorities of committees and their members.

In light of the collateral impact that congressional hearings can have on parallel civil, criminal, and regulatory proceedings, Cahill’s Congressional Investigations team seamlessly coordinates with experienced attorneys from across the firm, including those with vast experience in white collar defense, civil litigation, antitrust, securities, corporate governance, compliance, and other practices, to ensure swift, successful actions for clients.