Crisis Response: Protecting Your Reputation When It Matters Most

 Your call to our Crisis Response Line will be the first step to putting in place a crisis-management plan during the early time-critical stages. The Crisis Response lawyers will identify the information you need to build a strategy that keeps you on top of events from the outset and give you guidance on managing the investigation including the third-party criminal investigators. This will include:
 

• Giving advice and guidance on:
  
  
  • managing third-party criminal regulators and investigators  – the “do’s” and “don’t” in terms of your general strategy for cooperation and information supply
  • the right of third-party criminal regulators and investigators to interview the staff on site and in turn the rights of individuals to be accompanied and supported for such interviews
  • the provision of documentation and other information to third-party criminal regulators and investigators, including the establishment of a single point of contact arrangement
  • on your own preservation of evidence to ensure that it does not conflict with the investigations by third-party criminal regulators and investigators.
  • your legal responsibilities for formally reporting the incident to third-party organisations such as the HSE and the Coroner.
  • responding to initial enforcement by third-party regulators,  including Prohibition Notices and Improvement Notices and any Notifications of Contravention under the HSE’s Fee for Intervention Scheme
  • your own investigations and building your own defence strategy for future investigations by way of active defence actions.
  • Your media strategy options including where appropriate external consultants, with recommendations on the same
  • Your messaging to your staff and any other requests for information
  • Other actions in relation to your staff such as counselling etc. 

Calling the Crisis Response line will put you in touch with specialist lawyers who can:  
 

• Support the company with an investigation to assess the allegations, this will be conducted in a private and confidential manner
• Support the company liaising with the FSA or the local environmental health officer including how to manage any request for evidence and enquiries regarding witnesses, balancing cooperation with legal duties to disclose
• Advise on any enforcement notices issued, including appealing them where appropriate
• Assist with statements to the public and stakeholders involving external consultants where appropriate
• Assist the company in reviewing its processes to determine if they have complied with food safety laws and the European directives on allergens
• Support the company with the court process that may flow from the investigation  

Your call to our Crisis Response Line will be the first step to putting in place a crisis-management plan during the early time-critical stages. The Crisis Response lawyers will identify the information you need to build a strategy that keeps you on top of events from the outset.
 

They can give early guidance on issues including:
 

• Who to include in your crisis management team so that your response is co-ordinated and no key stakeholders are neglected
• Your media strategy options including where appropriate external consultants, with recommendations on the same
• Your messaging to customers and supply chain partners – key messages and update timetabling
• Your regulatory risk assessment and reporting obligations – ensuring that public safety is put first
• What evidence to preserve from the start to protect your position with your suppliers

Calling the Crisis Response line will advise you on steps to:
 

• limit your damage and losses and those of your neighbours. This may include immediate advice and support in stopping the leak, coordinating your clean-up operation and engagement with those appointed to clean up your neighbours’ premises and advice on alternative ways for your and your neighbours’ businesses to continue if possible;
• manage your obligations to your staff, customers and suppliers;
• protect your position regarding potential third party claims. The Crisis Lawyers will provide advice on what to say to the neighbours and their representatives and how to identify and preserve relevant documents and other evidence.

Calling the Crisis Response line will put you in touch with specialist lawyers who can:
 

• Assess the validity of the enforcement notice and determine if it has been correctly issued
• Advise on appealing the enforcement notice; these are time sensitive and can have an impact later down the investigation
• Involving experts to assist with the determination and/or appeal of the enforcement notice
• Advise on further investigations that may flow from the enforcement notice