Attorney-Client Privilege and Internal Investigations: Ethical Risks and Pitfalls

Ms. Walkowiak is the Director, Regional Compliance Counsel, Americas at global automotive seating supplier, Adient.  In this role, Ms. Walkowiak serves as the primary compliance counsel to the Americas region (US, Canada, Mexico and Latin America), reporting to the VP & General Counsel of Labor &  Employment, Litigation and Compliance. Ms. Walkowiak is responsible for conducting compliance investigations for the company, providing advice and counsel regarding compliance risk identification and mitigation, and implementing compliance program elements, including training and third party risk management processes. Prior to joining Adient, Ms. Walkowiak was a Regional Compliance Officer at Magna International. She was responsible for key compliance initiatives and guidance in her region, under the direction of the Chief Compliance Officer. At Magna, she also served as the Global lead in the development and implementation of web-based and in-person compliance training programs. Previously, Ms. Walkowiak worked as a white collar criminal defense attorney for 12+ years at AmLaw 100 firms’ Sidley Austin in Washington, D.C. and Foley & Lardner in Detroit. Ms. Walkowiak has also served as the Vice President of Review and Professional Services at a legal services provider where she oversaw a division of the company that provided eDiscovery, managed review, and consulting services to her law firm and corporate counsel clients.  Ms. Walkowiak began her legal career as a clerk at the US Court of Federal Claims for the Honorable Emily C. Hewitt.

Patrick Linehan's diverse practice focuses on representing corporate and individual clients in both civil litigation and criminal investigations and prosecutions. He defends clients in all phases of government investigations and prosecutions against allegations of securities fraud and regulatory violations, False Claims Act violations, FDA and healthcare fraud, antitrust fraud, and tax fraud, and others. Patrick has also litigated civil cases in both federal and state courts and before arbitration panels spanning a broad range of areas, including securities, breaches of fiduciary duty, employment, government contracts, False Claims Act, copyright, and general commercial matters. He is a recognized practitioner in the areas of white-collar criminal defense and securities litigation by Legal 500 US and DC Super Lawyers.