Corporate Counsel as Business Leaders

This is an interdisciplinary symposium for scholars and practitioners from legal and business backgrounds, providing a spirited discussion of the challenges they face together.

The symposium is jointly organized by the Association of Corporate Counsel and the American University Business Law Review. It will include the following presentations:

10:00 – 10:50 AM
The Importance of the Tone at the Top

Speakers: Prof. Sarah Duggin, Director, Compliance, Investigations and Corporate Responsibility Program, Columbus School of Law, Catholic University of America; Phyllis Harris, General Counsel, American Red Cross; Patrick McGlone, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, Ullico, Inc.; Robert Lavet, General Counsel, SoFi

Today’s hypercompetitive business environment means that it is as hard as ever to maintain a culture of ethics. However, increased regulatory oversight coupled with the swift dissemination of bad news makes staying ethical not only the right thing to do, but also the smart thing. This panel will cover the role of the general counsel in maintaining an ethical corporate culture and look at recent instances senior officers being held responsible for corporate wrongdoing even without direct involvement.

11:00 – 11: 50 AM
Business and Legal Working Together: An M&A Case Study

Speakers: Prof. Ilya Beylin, Seton Hall Law; Augusto Lima, Partner, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP; Babak Hafezi, Adjunct Professor, Kogod School of Business; Julia Gray, Director, Credit Suisse Securities (USA)

Using the mergers and acquisitions context to illustrate, this panel will examine the ways that business and legal professionals can work together to reach business goals. The discussion will go beyond addressing each side’s pain points and will share practical insight on combining expertise to secure a “win” for the corporate client.

12:00 – 1:00 PM
Luncheon and Fireside Chat

Speakers: Veta T. Richardson, President & CEO, Association of Corporate Counsel; Prof. Charles M Elson, Edgar S. Woolard, Jr., Chair in Corporate Governance and the Director of the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware

Corporate legal departments do not operate in a vacuum. It is clear that societal shifts, changing economic imperatives, and evolving laws and regulations have fundamentally altered the in-house practice. What is less clear is how in-house counsel and their business partners should adapt. During lunch, this pressing question will be unpacked in a thought-provoking discussion between two industry leaders.