What it is
A service you arrange in advance and use only if needed. Some incidents, such as a data breach, a fraud, an accident or a regulator's investigation, affect several countries at once. Each country may have its own duties to report, its own deadlines and its own lawyers. Trying to arrange all of this in the first hours of a crisis is slow and error-prone. With a retainer, the plan is agreed beforehand. When you activate it, WLA coordinates the work in every country and keeps you and your board informed.
When to use it
Before anything happens: when your company operates in more than one country and could face an incident that crosses borders, such as a cyber incident, an investigation, a serious accident or a major legal threat. Activate it when something has actually happened and it touches more than one country.
How to use it
First, set up. You tell us about your company and the countries that matter. WLA agrees the retainer with you in writing and prepares your playbook: who to notify on your side, which countries are in scope, which lawyers are on call, and how investigations and privileged communications are handled. Then, if an incident occurs, you activate the plan from My WLA and, if WLA has given you one, through the emergency line. WLA coordinates counsel and posts updates and board briefings in your account.
What you gain
You do not start from nothing in a crisis. You know who to call and what each country requires. Deadlines for each country are tracked in one place. Your board receives clear updates. Your communications with lawyers can be handled in the right way from the start.
THE SITUATIONA company discovers that customer data has been exposed. The customers are in three countries. It is Friday afternoon.
WITHOUT A PLANThe company searches for lawyers in each country, learns about reporting duties one at a time, and misses that one country has a short deadline. The board hears about it from the press. Internal emails discuss the problem freely, without thinking about what is protected.
WITH THE RETAINERThe company activates its plan. WLA confirms counsel in each country, lists the duties and deadlines in one place, and sets up the way the investigation will be run. The board receives a briefing the same day, and the company can show a clear record of what was done and when.
RetainerAn agreement you make in advance, so that help is ready when you need it.
ActivationStarting the plan when an incident has happened.
Notification dutyA legal duty to tell an authority, or the people affected, about an incident, often within a set time.
PrivilegeLegal protection that keeps some communications with a lawyer confidential. How you handle an investigation can affect it.
Regulator engagementDealing with the authorities who oversee your business, during and after an incident.
PlaybookThe written plan: your team, the countries in scope, counsel on call, and the protocol for handling an incident.
