Foreign Corrupt Practices Act the Focus of Annual Sokol Colloquium

Trevor McFadden '06, a former Justice Department official who was recently confirmed to the District Court for the District of Columbia, will be the keynote speaker for the 30th annual Sokol Colloquium on Private International Law at the University of Virginia School of Law on Nov. 10.

The event will be held on the 40th anniversary of the adoption of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. It will bring together leading legal academics and practitioners to reflect on the origins and history of the statute, the evolution of enforcement and corporate compliance practices since its adoption, and its role in the global fight against corruption. The colloquium, which will take place in the Purcell Reading Room starting at 9 a.m., is open to the Law School community. A limited number of seats are available for other guests. To request a seat, contact Judy Ellis.

McFadden most recently served as deputy assistant attorney general in the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice. He was previously a partner in the Compliance, Investigations and Government Enforcement Group in the Washington office of Baker & McKenzie.

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter in December 1977, prohibits the payment of bribes to foreign officials to assist in obtaining or retaining business and has increased transparency requirements related to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Friday, Nov. 10

Purcell Reading Room

8:30-9 a.m.

Continental Breakfast

9-10:30 a.m.

Panel 1 — The FCPA: Past, Future and International Impact

• "The FCPA at 40 — Progress and Disappointments,” Susan Rose-Ackerman (Yale Law School)
• “The FCPA in the Trump Administration: Looking to the Future,” Matthew Stephenson (Harvard Law School)
• “International Resonance: Expanding Transnational Anticorruption Cooperation,” Rachel Brewster (Duke University School of Law)

Moderator: Pierre-Hugues Verdier, University of Virginia School of Law

10:30-11 a.m. 

Break

• “Anti-Corruption Regulation by Settlement,” Matthew Turk (Indiana University, Kelley School of Business)
• “The Costs and Consequences of Uncertainty in FCPA Enforcement,” Adam Scott (Baker McKenzie)
• “Restoring Pre-Existing Compliance Through the Pilot Program,” Andrew Spalding (University of Richmond School of Law)

Moderator: Andrew Vollmer, University of Virginia School of Law

12:30-2 p.m.

Lunch and Keynote

“The FCPA at 40: Successes and Challenges in the Fight Against International Corruption,” Trevor McFadden (U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia)

2:15-3:45 p.m.

Panel 3 — FCPA Compliance: The View From Practice

• Richard Dean (Baker McKenzie)
• Mark Mendelsohn (Paul Weiss)
• Sue Ringler (International Rescue Committee)

Moderator: Paul Stephan, University of Virginia School of Law