There is an ever-growing space that government regulates which means that there is more for businesses to navigate just to operate. These include anti-trust, block-chain and crypto products and services, data protection, employment, energy, environment, financial services and new financial products, food and intellectual property. The expectations of regulators and penalties for non-compliance have also risen.

WST’s Regulatory and Compliance Practice Group assists our clients in two ways: first, we advise clients on how they can be compliant with the plethora of local and international laws, regulations, obligations and guidelines so that they can focus on running their businesses; second, we represent clients who come to us when they are being investigated or charged for regulatory offences or have run into compliance issues. Our areas of practice include the following:

• Financial services and products
• Recruitment, and workplace safety and health
• Companies Act obligations
• Corruption
• Anti-money laundering and countering terrorism financing
• Data protection
• Environmental, social and governance considerations
• Healthcare and life sciences
• Food safety
• Industry-specific regulations

Our Practice Group takes a practical and effective approach, building a team to assist clients made up of from lawyers from across our firm, subject matter experts and our international network to design compliance solutions. Our services and solutions are comprehensive and include not only providing legal advice, but also helping our clients build a robust compliance framework for their businesses.

• Advice on regulatory compliance, including on a retainer basis
• Representation for regulatory offences/ infringements
• Advice and support amidst regulatory investigations
• Advice and support for licence applications and renewal
• Periodic compliance reviews and pre-inspection reviews
• Drafting and reviewing policies and documents to ensure compliance
• Carrying out training for staff on regulatory/ compliance matters
• Monitoring impending regulatory changes and assisting with regulatory change management