HHR’s Anti-Corruption Team Shortlisted for GIR Award

October 7, 2020 — Hughes Hubbard has been shortlisted for a Global Investigations Review (GIR) award for its representation of Airbus in its historic settlement to successfully resolve bribery and corruption allegations.

The firm’s Anti-Corruption and Internal Investigations practice was nominated for the “Most Important Development in the Practice of Law of International Investigations,” recognizing Hughes Hubbard’s role in the internal investigation.

GIR’s sixth annual awards ceremony will take place virtually on October 22. The event will celebrate the investigations lawyers and practices that have impressed most in the past year. It is held in aid of Swawou School for Girls in Sierra Leone, which serves disadvantaged girls in the region.

In January, France-based Airbus reached a settlement with authorities in the U.S, France and the U.K. to resolve parallel criminal investigations for alleged bribery offenses and arms control violations. According to GIR, the case set a new high-water mark for international cooperation as the first publicly documented case where authorities from the U.S., France, and the U.K. coordinated their investigations and subsequent resolutions. All three jurisdictions recognized the importance of the internal due diligence review, the enhancement of Airbus’ internal compliance measures, and remedial actions taken as critical factors supporting the resolution.

HHR’s internal investigation spanned five years and dozens of countries. The investigation provided the company with crucial insight into the scope of the alleged misconduct and was instrumental in the robust enhancement of compliance measures in response to the compliance risks identified.

In its nomination, GIR specifically named Kevin Abikoff and Michael Huneke, who led the HHR team, as well as Daniel McLaughlin and Neil Oxford. They are honored to receive the nomination on behalf of the practice group and the firm.