whistleblower

Subscribe to whistleblower via RSS

A new Latham & Watkins guide examines the recent increase in whistleblowing and poses self-assessment questions against which firms can benchmark themselves.

By David Berman, Andrea Monks, Nell Perks, Nathan H. Seltzer, Becky Critchley, and Charlie Bowden

Many sectors, including financial services, have encountered a discernible increase in whistleblows in recent times — a trend that shows no signs of abating. Indeed, some whistleblowers have seen fit to publicise their concerns in the press and/or…

In a changing social landscape, PE firms should conduct corporate culture due diligence while also ensuring the implementation of robust complaints procedures.

By David Berman, Sarah Gadd, Joe Farrell, Nell Perks, David Walker, Tom Evans, and Catherine Campbell

As global businesses react to the pandemic and social movements, PE firms should remain watchful for whistleblowing issues involving both portfolio and target companies. We anticipate a significant increase in the number of employees asserting whistleblower status — a development that may prove costly to address, even if claims are without merit.

There is now more to blow the whistle about, including new workplace health and safety issues arising from COVID-19, misuse of government furlough schemes, and events highlighted by movements like #BLM and #MeToo. This is in addition to long-standing whistleblower issues, such as accounting irregularities, anticompetitive behaviour, and bribery and corruption. Further, in an economic environment where redundancies are increasing and the new jobs market is depressed, employees are more likely to resist termination.