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Suppliers & Clients
History shows that long-term success in business as well as in personal life is not possible without a good reputation and trustworthiness. This is especially true for legal and other professionals. The demise of Arthur Andersen following the Enron scandal can serve as a great example.
We believe that the right path to achieve such a good reputation and trustworthiness leads through day-to-day adherence to certain basic values that help us to differentiate between what is right and what is wrong. Not only do these values provide a guideline for our decision making but they also establish the criteria by which our decisions will be judged by others.
Illegal Trade
Firm does not purchase any goods or services in breach of any applicable legislation or international treaties that are in effect in any concerned jurisdiction. This includes but is not limited to legislation prohibiting or restricting trade with the following:
drugs, narcotics and other controlled substances, poisons, firearms and weapons, explosives, military equipment, hazardous waste, radioactive substances, endangered animal and plant species, their parts and respective products, illegal pornography and similar objectionable materials, human organs, other viable material and stem cells, arts and cultural heritage goods, pirated, counterfeited, stolen or smuggled goods.
Sanctions
While completely apolitical, Firm fully complies with any legislation in effect that introduces trade sanctions or retaliations in any concerned jurisdiction.
Suppliers
Firm does not purchase any goods or services (however legal in the respective jurisdictions) from suppliers that are positively known to carry out illegal or unethical business or trade activities. This includes but is not limited to:
illegal trade with the goods mentioned in section 14.1 on Illegal Trade above, child labor, forced labor, inhuman or dangerous working conditions, human trafficking, commercial sexual exploitation, money laundering, fraudulent business schemes, bribing and corruption, support of terrorism, support of human rights violations, exploitation of the poor and disabled, excessive pollution of the environment, illegal waste dispositions or reckless exploitation of natural resources.
If in doubt, the respective Firm purchasing manager is required to carry out an audit of the suppliers in question in order to find out whether or not they are involved in any illegal or unethical business or trade. Furthermore, the respective Firm purchasing managers are required to evaluate the individual suppliers on a regular basis.
Client Identity
We must always ascertain who we work for. Among others, such information is necessary for our conflict checks. We should duly identify all persons that act on behalf of our clients and that are yet unknown to us.
Individual jurisdictions may provide particular rules on how to identify the client and how to keep the respective records. These rules are often part of the anti-money laundering and/or combating the financing of terrorism legislation. We always fully comply with such rules.
Client Activities
We acknowledge that justice can only be carried out properly when the persons that are under suspicion, being investigated, charged or convicted may seek and receive due and professional legal advice. We also acknowledge that such legal advice can only be provided duly and in a professional manner when the counsel acts without any aversion or prejudice towards the client. The same applies to those persons that doubt whether or not their actions are lawful and legal.
Therefore, we do not judge our clients and their past actions. We duly point out the risks arising for the client from his or her illegal or unethical conduct.
On the other hand, we never advise or encourage our clients to breach any laws or regulations applicable in any jurisdiction or to behave unethically. This also applies to so-called “victimless” offenses like illegal tax evasion or breaches of environmental regulations.
We are committed to cease support for our client’s future projects and business activities that would be illegal or carried out with the prime purpose to profit from unethical conduct or unethical business operations after we pointed out the respective risks and the client decides to ignore them as well as our respective recommendations. The Managing Partner is to be immediately notified about any such cases and involved in the decision-making process.