Squair has a team of compliance and internal investigation lawyers who support companies in the prevention and management of their legal and ethical risks, on a wide range of topics.

Compliance has become a competitive advantage for businesses, but it remains an issue every day, due to the inflation of texts and the increasingly extensive powers of regulatory authorities. The team is aware that it must be able to assist its customers in order to minimize their risks with them and to be in a position to react immediately to French or international investigations. It intervenes both in an emergency and for audit, verification or long-term training operations.

The team works with a large number of companies of all sizes, in all areas of economic activity (industry, services and the banking and financial sector) in various areas of compliance: fight against corruption, fight against money laundering & terrorist financing, international sanctions, embargo & export control, international sanctions, embargo & export control, internal investigations & export control, internal investigations & crises related to whistleblowers, internal investigations & crises related to whistleblowers, CSR, competition/antitrust, regulatory banking & finance, regulatory product security, protection of Data personal.

The team assists companies in setting up, evaluating and deploying compliance systems, with a practical and pragmatic vision given by the internal knowledge of the company of some of its partners. It also strives to know the tools developed to support the implementation, digitized, and allowing traceability, of compliance programs and to assist its customers in deploying and/or managing them. The team also acts as an instructor on behalf of international regulatory authorities.

The team works with French companies, French subsidiaries of foreign groups and public authorities to set up or audit anti-corruption and CSR compliance programs based on national, foreign or international laws. The field of international sanctions and export control issues are the core business of some members of the team, with experience in the field, and customers both industrial and banking, allowing a detailed understanding of the related issues and a pragmatic approach to the subject. The team supports its clients in risk assessment and the implementation of compliance programs, but also in matters relating to export licenses, commodity classifications, and the extraterritorial impact of American and British sanctions and export control regulations on the activities of European operators.

Moreover, the lack of knowledge of French and European competition law standards is likely to generate litigation with serious impacts for companies both in terms of potential sanctions and in terms of reputation. The team supports our clients in their activities in order to ensure compliance with competition law on a daily basis (relationships with competitors, customers, suppliers and partners) as well as that of merger control procedures before national and European authorities. Pragmatic and equipped with a detailed knowledge of the legal frameworks applicable in France and at the European level, our lawyers combine their ability to anticipate competitive risks to make competition law a lever for creating value. On the litigation side, the firm intervenes both on behalf of the parties concerned and on behalf of competitors, clients or partners wishing to oppose a transaction or obtain compensation for anti-competitive practices that they may have suffered.

Finally, the firm has advanced expertise in banking and financial regulation, a rapidly evolving sector, influenced by new financial technologies and increasing compliance requirements. The team supports fintechs, credit institutions, financial institutions and investment funds in structuring, complying and managing risks. She works in particular on issues related to compliance with European directives (e.g. AMLD, PSD, MIFID), the structuring of regulated activities (investment, banking, payment services) and the obtaining of approvals from regulators (ACPR, AMF). Finally, the team works on the structuring of investment funds, the raising of funds and the creation of investment vehicles, as well as on innovative financing solutions and cybersecurity.

The Compliance & Regulatory team regularly publishes in French and international legal journals and intervenes in French and international conferences and teaches both professionals and students, at universities and business schools. She is also active in professional associations and as such participates in lobbying actions with the authorities.

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