Regulatory & Criminal Enforcement

Roan LampMarlies de Waard + 15 other experts

Regulatory & Criminal Enforcement

Our clients entrust us with handling their most sensitive and complex matters - from regulatory and criminal defence to compliance and integrity issues. We counsel our clients every step of the process. This includes legal crisis management; conducting internal investigations and public disclosures; dealing with regulators and criminal authorities; representing clients in criminal, administrative or civil court proceedings; and resolving investigations through declinations, settlements or litigation. Many of our cases are resolved without enforcement action being taken and remain confidential.

We handle cases for our clients wherever they do business. In recent years, we have been involved in more than 30 countries and represented our clients before numerous authorities. These include in the Netherlands: the Dutch public prosecution service, the AFM and the Dutch Central Bank; and beyond: the SEC, the DOJ, OFAC, BIS, the FCA, and MPF and CGU in Brazil. Our work in Asia allows us to conduct investigations effectively in China and the wider region, and gives us close proximity to local authorities and regulators. We have assisted clients in developing successful strategies to avoid or mitigate parallel investigations in multiple jurisdictions and achieve a global resolution in cross-border matters.

We have consistently taken an integrated and multidisciplinary approach to handling regulatory enforcement and corporate crime matters. We combine the firm's expertise and experience in areas such as corporate governance, finance, data protection, financial markets regulation and civil litigation. We also work closely with leading local law firms and e-discovery and forensic accounting consultancies where the matter requires this. This approach allows us to advise our clients holistically on all relevant aspects of the case.

Our work covers a wide variety of areas, such as bribery and corruption, fraud, financial markets regulatory issues, market abuse, money laundering, accounting irregularities, tax fraud, health and safety issues, environment, social and government (ESG), economic sanctions and export controls, cybercrime, corporate espionage and other compliance and integrity incidents. Our clients are active in various sectors, including financial services, energy (including oil & gas), manufacturing, retail, e-commerce, technology, chemical, automotive, life sciences, pharmaceutical and healthcare.

Deep expertise in both legal and regulatory frameworks. The team comprises seasoned professionals with extensive backgrounds in criminal law, compliance, and corporate governance, which enables them to navigate complex cases effectively.

Legal500, 2026
Legal500, 2026

Insights

23 June 2026

Six new technologies added to Dutch investment screening in line with European trend

To prevent strategic knowledge and technology from falling into the hands of parties that pose a threat to national security, the scope of the Dutch general investment screening regime will be broadened. This regime − set out in what is known in the Netherlands as the "Vifo Act" − covers investments in vital providers, companies involved in sensitive and highly sensitive technology, and operators of business campuses (see our June 2023 article explaining the regime here).
30 June 2025

DOJ provides guidance on shift in US white-collar enforcement strategy

As discussed in our February update, the Trump administration started its second term by announcing significant changes in the white-collar enforcement priorities of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). A brief recap: President Trump ordered the DOJ to pause Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) investigations and enforcement actions for 180 days. Attorney General Pam Bondi had signalled shifts in the DOJ's priorities towards the goal of "total elimination" of drug cartels and Transnational Crime Organizations (TCOs). Several of the Attorney General's memoranda at the time also alluded to potential deprioritisation of corporate enforcement in business-related national security cases and protection of US companies in particular. On the basis of these broad strokes directions, the DOJ had been directed to issue new guidelines.
28 February 2025

First month of Trump presidency signals shifts in DOJ white-collar enforcement priorities

In the first month since the inauguration, the Trump administration issued a series of executive orders and memoranda that direct the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to pause enforcement under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and that put a strong emphasis on fighting cartels and transnational criminal organisations (TCO). While the directives clearly represent a dramatic break from past DOJ priorities and several issues remain as "known unknowns," it bears emphasizing that they do not change the validity and enforceability of the underlying laws, including the FCPA, sanctions, export controls and terrorism offenses.