Anti-Money Laundering

Anti-Money Laundering

Authorities throughout the world are committing more resources to battle money laundering. It’s critical to keep anti-money laundering (AML) and bank secrecy compliance programs up to date to lower the risk of scrutiny and provide a solid defense if regulators initiate an investigation. Due diligence in corporate and investment transactions is key because it can identify past potential illegal activity, such as corruption, sanctions violations or tax evasion, which have varying consequences in the United States as well as other jurisdictions. In the United Kingdom and many other European countries, suspicion of a company’s illegal activity could “taint” assets and expose its buyers or sellers to money laundering offenses, even in pre-signing negotiations.

Our Anti-Money Laundering team has deep experience in both U.S. and international AML law. We understand nuances, such as the unique process to defend against money laundering offenses when conducting a transaction that involves potentially tainted assets under U.K. AML law. To address every aspect of our clients’ needs, our team draws support from lawyers throughout the firm in our international trade, litigation, government investigations, white collar defense, tax and financial regulatory practices.

Combining our multidisciplinary approach with the resources of a full-service global law firm, our team effectively and efficiently:

Handles matters related to the full range of AML laws and regulations, including:
- The USA Patriot Act
- The Bank Secrecy Act (BSA)
- The U.K. Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (PoCA)
- The U.K. Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 (SAMLA)
- The U.K. Criminal Finances Act 2018, as well as other European countries’ anti-money laundering laws as implemented under the European Union’s fourth and fifth AML Directives
- The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA)
- Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) regulations at Chapter X
- Office of Foreign Asset Controls (OFAC) sanctions and equivalent laws in other countries.
Advises on the development of compliance programs and conducting audits.
Performs due diligence in corporate and investment transactions.
Implements effective remedial actions pre- or post-closing including obtaining clearance from authorities for the divestment or acquisition of potentially tainted assets.
Conducts internal investigations, including responding to subpoenas.
Defends against enforcement actions by state and federal regulators, negotiates settlements of alleged AML violations and, when necessary, goes to trial to protect our clients’ interests.