For companies in the unenviable position of waiting to see whether federal prosecutors will criminally charge their company – an often existential question – the Department of Justice may have just leveled the playing field, at least slightly.  It has just announced that it will hire a new in-house compliance counsel who will take an active role in determining key aspects of FCPA resolutions.  In a guest article, G. Derek Andreson and Thomas M. Buchanan, partners at Winston & Strawn, and Francesca M.S. Guerrero, an associate, explain how the position came to be, how it will affect companies with varying types of anti-corruption compliance programs and how companies can take advantage of the new program.  See also “Comparing and Contrasting Three FCPA Experts’ Advice on Negotiating FCPA Settlements” (Aug. 20, 2014).