ABA Business Law Section to host its 2017 Annual Meeting in Chicago, Sept. 14-16

The American Bar Association Business Law Section will host its 2017 Annual Meeting on Sept. 14-16 at the Sheraton Grand Chicago and The Gleacher Center in Chicago. More than 1,600 registrants — including top enforcement officers from the Department of Justice and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — from around the world are expected to attend the more than 90 programs, covering more than 50 business law-related practice areas.

The featured speaker will be Thomas S. O’Neill, senior vice president and general counsel for the Exelon Corporation. O’Neill will reflect on his vision of what the future of “energy” is, as well as perspective on relevant legislation he helped advocate.

Program highlights include:

• “Foreign Corrupt Practices: Current Legal Developments and Practical Implications” — The panel will begin with a discussion of the key elements of the FCPA and (and the U.K. Bribery Act) and related legal developments. The panel will then consider practical issues facing in-house and outside company counsel. Speakers include: Joseph Alesia, executive counsel, Global Investigations, General Electric, Chicago; Steven D’Alessandro, managing director, JPMorgan Chase & Co., New York; Daniel Kahn, chief, FCPA Unit, Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.; Marshall Miller, of counsel, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, New York; Alex Young Oh, partner, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, Washington, D.C.; Matthew Queler, principal, Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP, Washington, D.C.; and Rebecca Rohr, vice president, Anti-Corruption and Global Trade, Hewlett Packard Enterprises, Herndon, Va.

• “‘Brexiting’ the UK Bribery Act and Trumping Up the FCPA: A Review of Current Administrations’ Effects on Anti-Corruption Laws” — The panel will focus on the effects of the new administration and “Brexit” on the enforcement of the U.K. Bribery Act and the standing of the Serious Fraud Office in parallel with the effects of the Trump administration on the enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. In addition to recent developments, the panel will address likely trends for future anti-corruption enforcement. Speakers: Keikoh Park, national director and global compliance counsel, Jones Lang LaSalle, Chicago; Marlon Paz, partner, Seward & Kissel LLP, Washington, D.C.; Glenn Ware, principal, PwC, Roslyn, Va.

• “The Impact of the Trump Administration on Investment Management Regulation” — This program will discuss the impact of the Trump administration on investment management regulation. Panelists will look at possible priorities of the SEC’s Division of Investment Management under the new SEC Chair Jay Clayton. The panel will consider current hot topics for asset management firms, mutual funds and their boards of directors, including the Department of Labor’s fiduciary rule, the possibility of an SEC rule requiring a uniform fiduciary standard for brokers and advisers, the new rule on investment company liquidity risk management programs. Speakers: Jay Baris, partner, Morrison & Foerster LLP, New York; Donald Crawshaw, partner, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, New York; Marc Elovitz, partner, Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP, New York; and Jane Jarcho, deputy director of SEC Office of Compliance, Chicago.

• “Dodd-Frank: Will It Stay or Will It Go? Possible Reforms to the Legislation and Regulations” — Panelists will provide an overview of Dodd-Frank DOL Rules and CFPB Rules and an analysis of what the industry has already done to comply. Also covered will be potential fiduciary rulemaking by the SEC and other agencies. Speakers: David Finnigan, director, Illinois Securities Department, Chicago; Ethan Levisohn, special counsel, Covington & Burling, LLP, Washington, D.C.; and Michael Shaw, counsel, Semmes, Bowen, & Semmes, Baltimore, Md.

• “Managing Conflicts of Interest: Your Global Business Client’s Conflicts May Result in Corruption Charges, and Ethical Challenges” — Panelists will discuss practical solutions to when advising your corporate client on managing conflicts of interest to assure good governance, employee morale and avoid reputational and legal risks. The panel will also discuss how to manage your professional ethics responsibilities by assuring you are clear who your client is, avoiding your own professional conflicts of interest, maintaining client confidences and advising the reluctant corporate client. Speakers: Fernanda Beraldi, international ethics and compliance director/corporate counsel, Cummins Inc., Indianapolis, Ind.; and Edwin Broecker, partner, Quarles & Brady LLP, Indianapolis, Ind.

• “Reclaiming Professional Competence & Ethical Behavior in the Digital Age” — Examining cognitive weaknesses affecting perception and judgment, this program will look at certain effects of the digital age — loss of empathy, responsibility, creativity, self-reflection — and impairment of ability to assess people (witnesses, adversaries, etc.) and the potential consequences for certain basic skills: negotiation, transactional work and dispute resolution. Speakers include: Wendy Patrick, deputy district attorney, District Attorney’s Office, San Diego County; San Diego, Calif.; and Jennifer Kirkpatrick Robbenolt, associate dean for Research, University of Illinois College of Law, Champaign, Ill.