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Dawn raids

The challenges

It's 9am and a team of seven officials have arrived at your head office.  Who will reception call?  Why are the investigators here? What will they do now?  How will this impact on the day to day operation of your business?  Are your other sites being raided?

A dawn raid can be an intimidating experience.  The critical issue is understanding what is being investigated and ensuring that the officials conduct themselves within the confines of their statutory powers.

You will need a blend of skills to enable an effective response to issues that may arise including privileged documents and how to protect them; on site questioning of staff;  conflicts of interest between individuals and the company; and whether or not a leniency application should be made.

How we can help

Eversheds has unrivalled experience of defending dawn raids.  Within the UK alone we have attended in the region of 25 competition dawn raids (both European Commission and UK competition authority raids) in the last four to five years.  This depth of experience enables us to manage effectively the acute pressures of the situation, striking a balance between appropriate co-operation with the investigating authority and protecting your legitimate interests by confining the investigation to its proper bounds.

We have collaborated with specialists in other disciplines to produce an impressive and experienced rapid response force.  We estimate that 40-50 of our lawyers in total have attended dawn raids.  We have the resource to ensure all investigating officers are properly shadowed whilst still having specialists to address tactical and strategic issues such as considering whether to make an application for leniency. 

If your company is in a sector which is at risk of dawn raids, we can prepare you by tailoring procedures to your needs and putting them to the test in a mock dawn raid. Clients acknowledge how valuable mock dawn raids can be in raising the profile of competition issues within the business.

Eversheds Crisis Hotline

Every organisation faces a crisis from time to time. The form it takes will vary depending on the particular risks your business is exposed to, but the outcome is usually the same - interruption to your business and a threat to your future. For more information and to download our 24-hour crisis hotline e-card click here.