Whistleblowers Today: Challenges and Opportunities they Pose for Public Companies

This webinar will explain what exactly constitutes a whistleblower, both generally and under federal law, and why they matter to public companies. We will discuss the rights of whistleblowers, their motivation for doing so and how companies can respond to incidents involving whistleblowers. Attendees will learn how to mitigate the risk that whistleblowers can pose to your company

Why Should You Attend:

For management of public-traded U.S. companies, it is increasingly important to understand whistleblowers and their potential impact on public companies. A company can benefit greatly when a whistleblower alerts it to wrongful conduct within the company, thus enabling the company to stop the misconduct and minimize the damage it causes. On the other hand, if whistleblowers report the misconduct not to the company, but directly to the federal government, the company has less chance of correcting the problem itself, and greater chance of having corrections – as well as severe sanctions – imposed by the federal government.

This webinar will provide perspectives on these matters, suggesting ways in which whistleblowers can be encouraged to report first to the company and will discuss what unfortunately might happen if they do not. Attendees of this program will understand:

• What a “whistleblower” is, both generally and for purposes of key federal laws affecting public companies;
• What rights whistleblowers might possess;
• How to respect those rights;
• What incentives whistleblowers have to report alleged wrongdoing straight to the federal government;
• How to help prevent direct reporting to the federal government;
• How to respond to a whistleblower report when made either first to the company or directly to the federal government.

Attendees thus will learn what whistleblowers are, why they matter to public companies, how to make whistleblowing an opportunity rather than a risk for public companies, and how to mitigate the risk that whistleblowers can pose. In this manner, they can help their corporate employers or clients deal effectively and responsibly with this ever-growing risk posed to businesses under crucial and relatively new federal laws.

Areas Covered in the Webinar:

• What whistleblowers are, both generally and under federal law
• Rights possessed by whistleblowers under federal law and how to respect them
• Incentives for whistleblowers to report alleged misconduct by a public company directly to the federal government rather than to the company
• Disadvantages to public companies of whistleblowers reporting misconduct directly to the federal government
• Advantages to public companies of whistleblowers reporting misconduct first to the company
• Strategies for encouraging whistleblowers to report misconduct first to the company
• Strategies for responding when the whistleblower reports misconduct directly to the federal government

Who Will Benefit:

• Public-company financial management personnel
• Public-company supervisory employees of any kind
• Public-company human resources personnel
• Public-company compliance personnel
• Risk Officers
• Internal Auditors
• Forensic accountants
• Fraud examiners

Instructor Profile:

Eli J. Richardson, is a Member of Bass, Berry & Sims PLC, based in the firm’s Nashville office and practicing in its Compliance and Government Investigations practice group. Mr. Richardson concentrates on white-collar criminal and quasi-criminal matters. His practice encompasses conducting internal investigations, advising on compliance matters, and defending corporate and individual clients under investigation by the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, various Offices of Inspector General, and other federal and state enforcement agencies.