Eric Cottrell represents clients in business litigation, government investigations, and federal compliance issues. He focuses a large part of his practice at the intersection of those areas under the False Claims Act. From the moment the government or a whistleblower (qui tam plaintiff) first raises a claim, clients rely on Eric to defend their interests and navigate the high-stakes process that follows.
Eric brings a unique perspective to his clients because of his extensive experience with both civil litigation and government investigations. He has served as lead counsel in more than 100 jury and bench trials in state and federal courts, including the North Carolina Business Court. He represents public and private entities in various commercial litigation matters, including shareholder litigation, commercial contract disputes, and trade secret and intellectual property disputes. He has deep experience managing large, time-sensitive electronic discovery matters.
Eric’s government investigations practice extends beyond the False Claims Act to a variety of other white-collar criminal inquiries. He has conducted internal investigations on behalf of companies and other entities on a wide variety of issues, including accounting irregularities and employee misconduct. He has particular experience in managing complex Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) investigations and advising companies on FCPA compliance matters. Additionally, he has significant experience advising companies on compliance with U.S. export control laws, as well as investigating and disclosing violations to federal authorities. He has conducted numerous internal investigations involving alleged violations of the ITAR, EAR, and OFAC regulations, including alleged exports to Sudan, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
In addition, Eric advises companies on how to assess anti-corruption and export compliance risk and design cost-effective compliance programs. He also works with companies to identify other areas of compliance risk (such as antitrust, anti-money laundering, etc.) and coordinates with Parker Poe attorneys to create comprehensive, enterprise-wide compliance plans.