To meet the needs of employers, WKB has established a multidisciplinary team dedicated to whistleblowing and internal investigations. This team will provide comprehensive advice to businesses, local government entities, and other organisations during both the development and implementation of whistleblowing channels as well as on conducting internal investigations.

The practice has shown that organisations with procedures in place allowing for the reporting and explanation of irregularities are several times less likely to suffer losses due to fraud than those which have not implemented the appropriate measures. A whistleblowing system will also often allow an organisation to identify weak points in their operations and procedures, which can generate different risks, including for the quality of their services.

On the one hand, the proper implementation of whistleblower protection legislation presents companies with an opportunity, while, on the other hand, it gives rise to legal obligations. WKB’s whistleblowing team will provide organisations guidance on both the opportunities and means to manage risk. If necessary, the team will also conduct thorough investigations, tailored to a given organisation and its activities. Finally, by drawing on the experience and knowledge of our experts, the team will prepare both legal strategies as well as recommendations for internal and external communications.

“Possessing whistleblowing and an internal investigation system is not just a legal and regulatory duty. They are among the core elements of an organisation’s Compliance Management System. They serve to prevent and duly respond to irregularities that may occur or may have occurred, in an organisation in connection with its operations. The progressive regulation of business raises further liability risks in the event of violations of the law. This is why we are establishing an interdisciplinary team with the purpose of supporting our clients in building systems to report and handle such reports, including – to internally investigate irregularities, which will allow them to mitigate the risks of such irregularities and their consequences.” – said Aleksandra Stępniewska, Counsel at WKB.

The practice will be coordinated by Jan Roliński (partner) and Aleksandra Stępniewska (counsel) of the firm’s Business Criminal Law practice.

The team includes members from the following practices: