Eric Carlson | Contributing Editor
Eric R. Carlson is a contributing editor of the FCPA Blog.
He’s a Shanghai-based partner at Covington & Burling LLP.
Eric advises clients operating in China and other jurisdictions in Asia on a range of anti-corruption laws, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). He has deep experience leading highly sensitive anti-corruption/FCPA investigations in China and other jurisdictions in Asia, including investigations presenting complex legal, political, and reputational risks.
He also counsels clients on the corruption risks of proposed transactions, conducts anti-corruption due diligence as part of mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures, assists companies in updating and strengthening their internal anti-corruption compliance programs and tailoring them to the unique features of Asian markets, and developing and presenting tailored compliance training in Chinese and English. He has advised scores of companies and organizations representing nearly every major industry.
He speaks Mandarin and Cantonese and has led hundreds of witness interviews in Chinese in 20 provinces in China, and conducted dozens of trainings in Chinese.
He advises clients on privacy and data security issues, particularly as they relate to China and other jurisdictions in Asia. He also counsels clients on U.S. export controls and economic sanctions applied by the U.S. Departments of Commerce, State, and Treasury, and related Chinese trade control regulations, including conducting internal investigations into potential violations of these laws.
More information about him can be found here.
Recent Posts
The Monaco Memo and China’s Social Credit System amplify past misconduct
Companies face increasing risks in their operations in China and beyond due to both the continued development of China’s social credit system and recent changes
China’s proposed data security and personal information protection laws will impact investigations
Imminent changes to the legal landscape in China likely will further complicate investigations and litigation involving information stored in China.
Can I fire a non-compliant employee in China?
During our investigations in China, once we substantiate an allegation, we are regularly asked, “So can we terminate or discipline the employee?”
Practice Alert: What’s the impact of China’s year-old blocking statute?
A year ago, we wrote here about the enactment and possible implications of a new law in China preventing China-based individuals and entities, including the
China’s Social Credit System applies to companies and impacts compliance
Numerous stories have appeared in the English-language press about China’s social credit system (SCS). Most of these stories focus on SCS’s system of “scoring” individuals in China. But SCS also applies to companies operating in China and, as it develops, may impact how companies approach anti-corruption compliance.
Practice Alert: China asserts ‘judicial sovereignty’ with new blocking statute
China recently enacted a law that could prevent China-based individuals and entities, including the China-based subsidiaries of non-Chinese companies, from providing certain assistance in criminal proceedings outside of China.
China creates more anti-bribery prosecution tools
China recently amended its Criminal Procedure Law (CPL) to codify rules encouraging cooperation in government investigations, align with the new national supervision system, and introduce trials in absentia for certain crimes, including bribery and corruption.
National security: Are Chinese companies targeted for FCPA enforcement?
Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a new “China Initiative.” According to the press release, the Initiative “reflects the Department’s strategic priority of countering Chinese national security threats and reinforces the President’s overall national security strategy.”
Eric Carlson: The risky world of real and fake chops, seals and stamps
The prior post provided an overview of chops in China. This post focuses more specifically on how chops can be misused and how that risk can be mitigated.
Eric Carlson on China chops, seals and stamps: What do they mean for compliance?
Anyone who has viewed a contract or official document in China may have noticed a bright red circle in the signature block. This is often called a “chop” — alternatively translated as “seal” or “stamp.” This post describes what these chops are and how they can be used and misused by employees.