Environmental criminal investigations can devastate your company’s reputation, finances, and future operations. If your business faces potential regulatory scrutiny or criminal charges related to environmental violations, you need an attorney. Call Hilder & Associates, P.C. at (713) 234-1416 to schedule a free consultation with a trusted environmental crime lawyer who will protect your interests and guide you through the
investigation process.
Criminal Liability Under Texas Law
Understanding liability principles under Texas law is critical for structuring your operations to minimize criminal exposure while protecting both your organization and its personnel. The environmental attorneys at Hilder & Associates, P.C. ensure you understand how corporate officers and managers who knowingly authorize or participate in environmental violations may face personal criminal liability, regardless of their distance from day-to-day operations. We help you implement safeguards to protect your leadership team.
Establish Comprehensive Compliance Programs
Companies that implement robust environmental compliance programs demonstrate good faith efforts to follow regulations and reduce exposure to criminal liability. Our environmental attorneys work with your organization to design and implement written policies, regular training schedules, and clear procedures for identifying and addressing potential violations before they become legal problems.
Our team ensures that management communicates from the top down, promoting environmental compliance and fostering a culture of responsibility that regulators recognize and value. Effective compliance programs we develop include:
- Written environmental policies that address all applicable federal, state, and local regulations.
- Regular employee training on environmental requirements and reporting procedures.
- Designate compliance officers with authority and resources to enforce policies.
- Internal auditing systems that identify problems before regulators discover them.
- Clear reporting channels for employees to raise environmental concerns without fear of retaliation.
- Documentation systems that track permits, inspections, and compliance activities.
Conduct Internal Compliance Audits
Internal environmental audits help you identify violations before government agencies find them and provide opportunities to correct problems proactively. Our attorneys at Hilder & Associates, P.C., conduct thorough facility inspections or oversee your internal audit teams to ensure comprehensive reviews that meet legal standards.
Our audits demonstrate your commitment to compliance and support the argument that any violations resulted from isolated mistakes rather than systemic disregard for environmental law. Our internal audits examine:
- Permit compliance and reporting requirements.
- Waste handling, storage, and disposal practices.
- Air emissions monitoring and control systems.
- Water discharge permits and treatment operations.
- Hazardous materials management and recordkeeping.
- Employee training records and compliance documentation.
Develop Crisis Response Protocols
When environmental incidents occur, your company needs an immediate response plan that addresses both operational realities and legal implications. We create customized crisis response protocols that outline who makes decisions, how to communicate with regulators, and when to involve legal counsel.
Our protocols help you respond quickly and appropriately to minimize environmental harm while demonstrating accountable corporate conduct to investigating authorities. Crisis response protocols we develop address:
- Immediate containment and remediation procedures.
- Notification requirements for regulatory agencies.
- Internal investigation procedures to determine what happened.
- Communication strategies for employees, media, and stakeholders.
- Documentation requirements for all response activities.
- Legal review processes before making statements to government investigators.
Train Your Employees on Proper Procedures
Employees on the front lines of your operations must understand environmental requirements and their personal responsibilities for compliance. Provide regular training that ensures workers know how to handle materials safely, recognize potential violations, and report problems through appropriate channels. Training programs reduce the likelihood of mistakes that lead to violations and increase the chances that your team will identify issues before they escalate into serious problems.
Protect Attorney-Client Privilege
Companies conducting internal investigations must carefully protect the attorney-client privilege to prevent self-generated evidence from being used against them in criminal proceedings. We direct internal investigations on your behalf and clearly mark all investigation documents as privileged and confidential communications.
Our team ensures that employees interviewed during internal investigations understand that we represent the company, not individual workers, to avoid confusion about privilege protections and maintain the confidentiality your organization needs.
Maintain Concise Recordkeeping Practices
Comprehensive and accurate recordkeeping demonstrates your compliance efforts and provides evidence to defend against allegations of knowing violations. We help you establish systems to document all environmental monitoring, testing, training, and compliance activities in a contemporaneous manner.
Our guidance ensures your records support your defense rather than undermine it. Missing or falsified records often transform regulatory violations into criminal cases by suggesting intentional wrongdoing rather than inadvertent mistakes.
Consult an Experienced Environmental Attorney
Environmental criminal investigations carry serious consequences that require immediate legal guidance from attorneys who understand both environmental regulations and criminal defense strategies. Companies facing environmental criminal investigations should call Hilder & Associates, P.C. at (713) 234-1416 or reach out online to schedule a free consultation with an experienced environmental lawyer who will help your organization prepare for and respond to regulatory scrutiny with confidence and skill.
