The Bribery Act - Mishcon ASSURE®

Mishcon de Reya is proud to introduce Mishcon ASSURE^®, a unique product designed to help individuals and organisations meet the new standards set out in the Bribery Act, due to become law in April 2011.

‘The Act is the most comprehensive anti-bribery legislation ever introduced in the UK’ says Gary Miller, Head of the Fraud Group at Mishcon de Reya. ‘It will touch every area of your business relating to gaining and retaining clients, from hospitality to tendering processes, and includes the appointment and use of agents and representatives abroad.’

The Act introduces a brand new strict liability offence for organisations that fail to prevent bribery and provides for substantial sanctions for individuals and organisations, including heavy fines and up to 10 years imprisonment. The primary defence is to demonstrate that ‘adequate’ anti-bribery procedures are in place and followed.

Mishcon ASSURE^® enables Mishcon de Reya to identify and enhance key areas of the organisation’s anti-bribery procedures to ensure they are as robust as possible. Working closely with accountants, communications experts and a behavioural psychologist Mishcon ASSURE^® provides a holistic, real world approach to ensure adequate policies are in place and, furthermore, to embed these policies into the culture of an organisation.

Should a crisis arise, Mishcon de Reya’s Fraud Defence team will provide strategic advice and their Reputation Protection team will act swiftly to mitigate any reputational damage.

Gary Miller believes now is the time to act. ‘Whatever you do, doing nothing is not an option.’