Thursday, February 25, 2021 The Department of Justice (DOJ) is a top-level federal agency responsible for enforcing all federal laws. Given its mandate, they are one of the largest federal agencies and oversees 100,000 attorneys, special agents, and other law enforcement personnel. The DOJ has created many specialized groups that focus on enforcing a particular type of law or regulation to facilitate its objectives. Thus, generally, DOJ staff are very knowledgeable and experienced in their particular practice area, and can be a force to be reckoned with. Among the DOJ's duties includes deciding whether to bring civil or criminal charges against businesses, healthcare practices, and individuals alleged to have violated a federal regulation. While there are many considerations that go into the charging decision, one of the more important ones is whether the subject of the investigation has an effective DOJ compliance program.