© 2016 The Texas Lawbook.
By Joanna Jefferson
(Aug. 18) – Kara Brockmeyer, chief of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act unit will headline the University of Texas School of Law’s Government Enforcement Institute in Houston on September 29 and 30.
Brockmeyer, who has led the SEC’s corruption efforts since 2011, is expected to address recent FCPA activity, priorities for the coming year and the SEC’s perspective on the Justice Department’s 2016 Pilot Program, according to Steve Korotash, Morgan Lewis partner and a founding co-chair of the Institute.
Now in its third year, the Institute provides a collegial forum for in-house counsel to engage with peers and high-level current and former government officials from the SEC, DOJ, EPA and other agencies. It brings together distinguished faculty to discuss key issues and strategies for protecting companies and executives in government investigations and litigation.
Barrett Howell, K&L Gates partner and the Institute’s other co-chair attributes the program’s success to its practical focus: “We choose experts who have been in the trenches and can provide corporate counsel with practical, concrete guidance.”
Among the topics to be examined this year:
- The increasing role that the audit committee plays in overseeing internal and external investigations; the government’s perception of that role; and what audit committees expect from company counsel, external counsel and auditors
- Key considerations for conducting and managing internal investigations and collaborating with external counsel in government inquiries, including achieving cost-effectiveness
- A survey of recent SEC enforcement priorities and insights into the perils that may lie ahead
- How you can protect your company’s infrastructure from cyber attacks
- An exploration of the challenges posed by whistleblowers, as well as viable strategies for successfully negotiating difficult obstacles
- The workings of intellectual property investigations and prosecutions, as well as key steps that companies can take to increase the likelihood that criminal authorities will help
- Essential preparations for an environmental crisis and insights into post-crisis issues
- Ethical issues and conflicts facing corporate lawyers who advise companies and boards in the context of investigations and shareholder claims
Government panelists this year include: Scott Friedstad, long-time associate director of the SEC’s Enforcement Division, Washington, D.C.; James O’Rourke Payne, Jr., EPA regional counsel, Dallas; Shamoil Shipchandler, SEC regional director, Fort Worth; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alan Buie, Quincy Ollision, Paul Yanowitch and Bruce Keller; and David Peavler, SEC associate regional enforcement director, Fort Worth.
Joining them are corporate counsel: Randall M. Ebner and Robert L. Levy, Exxon Mobile; Casey P. Kaplan, Nike; Todd A. MacGregor, Chevron; Annessa McKenzie, Calpine; and Steve Cook, LyondellBasell. Barbara Duganier, corporate director of Buckeye Partners and MRC Global will provide insight into audit committee issues.
The one-and-a-half day conference will take place at Houston’s Hotel Derek. For additional details and registration information, read the conference brochure.
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