Mounting regulatory pressure, new legislation and a fear of reputional damage have fuelled a rise in the number of corporates conducting internal investigations to tackle bribery and corruption. Caroline Hill finds out why an effective self-reporting regime is a necessary burden  

Internal investigations are nothing new, but in the wake of banking scandals, growing regulatory pressure and a raft of legislation tightening and criminalising corporate law, investigations have become as burdensome for general counsel as they are burgeoning for their external legal advisers.