Internal Investigations & Legal Audits

“We need to know what's happened, what our risks are, and what to do about it.”

Know where you stand

Whether you're dealing with an incident, a complaint, misconduct, or simply want to proactively head off risks to your business, the answers often lie buried in a sea of records: emails, documents, spreadsheets, messages. We have the experience and technology to interrogate large record sets efficiently, and deliver prompt, actionable advice on the legal risks we identify. If you have concerns about any legal risks your organisation may have, or need clarity on your options, contact us.

When clients call us

After an incident: to understand what the records show before decisions are made.
When a complaint or claim is made: internal or external.
Before an issue escalates: a proactive review to understand your exposure.

What you get

A review scoped to your risks. We agree the legal questions with you first.
Preliminary findings, early, so you can make decisions while the detailed review continues.
A cited chronology of the relevant records.
A clear report setting out your risks, your options and how to take action.
Support to act on it: additional technical and legal services, and connections to the right people.

Confidentiality and privilege

Audits and investigations often uncover highly sensitive information. We structure each engagement from the outset so our advice can attract client legal privilege, and we'll explain before we start how its purpose and use affect whether privilege applies.

Starting from the records

We start from the records and your instructions. Where they leave questions open, we'll identify who needs to be interviewed and what to ask. Interviews can be conducted by us or by your own staff.

Working with your IT provider

Getting the right data from email and messaging systems, document platforms, work management systems and databases is critical. We work directly with your technical staff and IT providers to identify what is available, and to make sure data is extracted in the most useful formats for an effective investigation.

Who it's for

Government departments, agencies and statutory bodies; organisations delivering government contracts; and businesses.

Common questions

How quickly can you give us an answer?

Turnaround is agreed for each engagement. Where time matters, we can give you preliminary findings early and fast-track the detailed advice.

Will our review be privileged?

We structure the engagement to support a claim of privilege, but whether it applies depends on why the work is done and how the advice is used. We'll discuss this before we start.

Do we need to engage you through our lawyers?

No. We're a law firm, so you can engage us directly. If you already have external lawyers, we're happy to work with them.

Can we share the report with our board or a regulator?

Sharing advice can affect privilege. Talk to us before you share it.

How is it priced?

We typically price the review at a set rate for the volume of records, and the report at an hourly rate. We'll provide rates and an estimate before we start.

Speak with a partner

Tell us what's happened and what you need, or call us if it's urgent.

Please don't include confidential details or attach documents. We'll run a conflict check before we discuss specifics.