Crisis & Risk Management

The Crisis and Risk Management practice group is unique to Scarinci Hollenbeck. Our attorneys assist organizations and individuals with all aspects of emergency response, including crisis assessment, development and implementation of crisis response plans and internal policies and procedures, and evacuation plans. We have extensive experience in the growing field of risk management, including the identification of potential threats and the development of practical solutions that offer the best ways to avoid or mitigate those threats.

The Crisis and Risk Management group mobilizes an interdisciplinary team of professionals and assists with the implementation of response strategies aimed at addressing rapidly evolving crises. The group is comprised of former law enforcement officials, including federal and state prosecutors and lawyers recognized as leaders in their respective fields of law. Together, the team works to provide clients with innovative, real-time solutions that help create a safer, more profitable work environment.

Emergency Response

Our Crisis Management attorneys understand that sophisticated crisis management counseling begins long before disaster strikes. We work closely with clients to develop custom-tailored crisis management plans, including establishing appropriate metrics for determining when and how to implement an effective crisis response.

In today’s fast-paced and globalized business environment, organizations are more vulnerable than ever. Advancements in technology continue to shape business operations and relations and, as a result, organizations face new and complex challenges every day. We provide counseling to help prepare clients for a wide variety of crises, from large-scale data breaches, to internal corporate investigations, to federal investigations and oversight, to high-profile reputational threats, to natural disasters.

Our local access to federal and state authorities and a global alliance of legal and technical professionals enable our team to address the most urgent of client needs. We are acutely aware of the financial and public relations fallout that often result from an unexpected crisis, and mobilize our interdisciplinary team of professionals to mitigate unexpected consequences.

We have extensive experience in technology, banking and finance, consumer protection, employment, international law, intellectual property, health care, and litigation. In addition, our lawyers have hands-on business experience that enables them to provide strategic business consulting on all aspects of information policy, including privacy, information security, and records management.

High-Profile Reputational

When an unexpected event occurs that could have a negative impact on an organization’s or individual’s reputation, our team coordinates efforts to communicate accurately and effectively with the public and stakeholders while at the same time maintaining focus on the legal aspect of the crisis. Crises impacting one’s reputation may include misdeeds, skewed management decisions, deceptive acts, and misconduct. The stakes are high when discontented individuals and special interest groups fight individuals, businesses, and other interest groups to win acceptance of their demands and expectations. These threats usually occur in the form of boycotts, picketing, sit-ins, ultimatums to those in authority, blockade or occupation of buildings, resisting or disobeying authority, and Internet defamation.

White Collar Criminal Defense & Internal Investigation

Our team represents clients in a variety of criminal matters, including the defense of allegations of white collar crimes. Our criminal defense attorneys are former prosecutors and certified criminal trial attorneys. We have extensive experience representing individuals and businesses that are summoned as witnesses before federal and state grand jury proceedings. We conduct internal investigations for businesses that suspect wrongdoing by their employees and agents. In the event criminal charges or regulatory offenses are filed, we provide strategic counseling to our clients from the outset and stand with them through trial.

Hostile Work Environment

We assist organizations in maintaining safe and risk-free working environments for their employees. We assist clients with:

• Policies and procedures
• Background checks
• Web safety for employees and students
• Employee handbooks
• Harassment and diversity training for employees and management
• Threat assessment
• Internal fraud investigations
• Internal hostile work environment investigations.

Political Activity Law

With new laws impacting political activity and increased scrutiny involving political contributions, our team of attorneys versed on the intricacies of political activity law can assist clients in adhering to laws and regulations concerning political donations. We assist with:

• Campaign finance laws
• Administrative proceedings
• Compliance
• Creation of political action committees.
• White-collar criminal defense and internal investigations

Natural Disaster Recovery

We assist our clients in effectively managing natural disasters that have the potential to cause significant business and operational interruptions. We assist clients with:

• Evacuation planning – we are experienced in developing, implementing and testing evacuation plans of all sizes for private businesses, public agencies, and state entities
• Emergency planning/contingency planning
• Security planning
• Threat assessment – we help organizations looking to prevent or manage threats of violence and assist in the management of the aftermath of actual violent incidents
• Coordinate all phases of crisis response, including notifying federal and state authorities and conducting post-crisis clinics and assessments
• Develop and implement strategic communication plans to ensure proper and effective disclosure

Cyber Security & Data Protection

• Experienced in developing and implementing data breach response programs, our attorneys assist clients with the coordination of criminal and civil responses following a data breach. Businesses that possess personally identifiable information have numerous obligations and responsibilities under state, federal, and – in some cases – international law. Businesses have a responsibility to safeguard proprietary, confidential, and trade-secret information, and they must also comply with the laws that pertain to their possession or ownership of consumer or employee data.
• We have extensive experience in technology, banking and finance, consumer protection, employment, international law, intellectual property, health care, and litigation. In addition, our lawyers have hands-on business experience that enables them to provide strategic business consulting on all aspects of information policy, including privacy, information security, and records management.
• To learn more, check out our Cyber Security and Data Protection offerings.

High-Profile Reputational Risk Management

We leverage our in-depth experience in core business disciplines – insurance, tax, corporate, regulatory, and administrative law – to assist organizations and individuals in assessing potential risk and minimizing exposure to future liability.

Members of the Risk Management Group work closely with senior executives, general counsel, small business owners, and other key personnel to provide ongoing counseling on a wide variety of matters involving risk and liability.

We offer a full range of risk management services, including:

• Developing and implementing comprehensive risk management plans
• Negotiating and drafting insurance policies and coverage
• Assisting with compliance of regulatory and statutory-based requirements
• Addressing unique insurable needs, such as cyber coverage
• Conducting timely audits of business operations and practices to assess current and future exposure