Overview
In defending clients facing congressional investigations, Ropes & Gray brings a comprehensive approach that combines deep industry-specific expertise with extensive experience navigating every step of the investigation, from the initial inquiry letter to public hearings. This approach has helped clients optimize outcomes and better mitigate reputational, business and regulatory risk. We are particularly adept at representing clients facing parallel investigations from Congress and enforcement agencies such as the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Our team includes former staff members of key congressional committees, lawyers from the White House Counsel’s Office with experience responding to the highest-profile congressional investigations, DOJ prosecutors, and SEC enforcement attorneys. We understand the nuances of congressional rules and practice and have successfully narrowed the scope of document requests, protected privileged and commercially sensitive information, and prepared witnesses for private testimony and public hearings.
Our practice also includes subject matter experts who collaborate seamlessly across practices and have developed an outstanding reputation for judgment and sound advice, including attorneys from the following leading practices:
Leveraging this industry expertise, we develop a strategic response to Congress that minimizes a client’s overall risk and avoids inadvertently creating new and unnecessary risk from regulators, criminal and civil investigators, or private plaintiffs.
Experience
Our representative experience includes:
- Represented the former CEO of SolarWinds in high profile investigations by multiple Senate and House Committees including preparation for prominent Congressional hearings.
- Represented a leading multinational pharmaceutical company in connection with an investigation by U.S. House and Senate committees and subcommittees into alleged off-label promotion and other allegedly improper product promotion.
- Represented an American investment management corporation in responding to a subpoena from the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
- Represented a major retailer in multiple investigations conducted by the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and the House Judiciary Committee.
- Represented biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in connection with federal legislation that created an approval pathway for biosimilars.
- Advised several pharmaceutical manufacturers on educational grants policies and assisted them in responding to associated congressional investigations.
- Advised multiple asset managers in responding to an investigation by the House Judiciary Committee into environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing practices.
- Represented a home health company in responding to a congressional investigation.
- Served as co-counsel to a coalition of more than a dozen pharmaceutical and device manufacturers seeking clarity about government policies pertaining to promotional practices.
