Top legal officials to address ABA white-collar crime conference in London Oct. 10-11

The head of the Crown Prosecution Service in England and Wales and the chief legal officer of the U.S. Treasury Department will be among the top legal practitioners speaking at the American Bar Association 10th Annual London White Collar Crime Institute October 10-11.

Sponsored by the ABA Criminal Justice Section, the conference features panels on hot-button issues of global significance to white-collar practitioners. Topics include international money laundering and sanctions, cross-border evidentiary concerns, international internal investigations and more.

Max Hill QC, director of public prosecutions for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), will deliver a keynote speech on Oct. 10. Hill is the third most senior public prosecutor in England and Wales (after the attorney general and solicitor general) and serves as the head of the CPS. Appointed a Queen’s Counsel in 2008, Hill is a former chairman of the Criminal Bar Association and has defended and prosecuted a number of complex cases of homicide, violent crime and corporate crime.

Also, Neil MacBride, general counsel of the U.S. Department of Treasury, will give a keynote address on Oct. 11. MacBride serves as the Treasury’s chief legal officer and principal legal adviser to the secretary of treasury and senior leaders on a wide range of issues relating to domestic finance, terrorism finance, financial crimes enforcement, international economic affairs and tax policy.

Other program highlights include:

• “A 360-Degree View of Compliance-based Resolution Solutions: Compliance Requirements and Independent Monitorships — This panel, with experience across government, in-house, defense counsel and monitorships, will provide a practical, 360-degree look at alternatives to traditional penalties and sanctions in corporate prosecutions, and how compliance-based requirements — including independent monitorships — offer the opportunity to align parties, create value and be a true resolution solution.

• “Are We Witnessing an Erosion of the Rule of Law?” — Recent events in multiple jurisdictions, whether criticisms of judges, court decisions, international conventions or the role of lawyers, have led observers to comment that the rule of law is under attack. This panel will explore the relevance of the rule of law in the context of extradition, international relations and judicial co-operation and more broadly the criminal justice system, and the extent to which social media and news sources can affect collective and individual perceptions.

• “A New Day in Sanctions Enforcement: Navigating Economic Sanctions in 2022’’ — Top sanctions regulators and private practice attorneys from the UK, United States, EU and Ukraine will discuss the new age of economic sanctions post-Russian invasion of Ukraine. The current sanctions landscape includes unprecedented, multilateral imposition of restrictions (including by historically neutral nations such as Switzerland) targeting various sectors of the Russian and Belarusian economies. Corporations and individuals around the world face novel, coordinated, multinational enforcement initiatives targeting sanctions violations and evasion. 

• “Ten Years Later: International White-Collar Crime During the Last Decade and What the Future Holds” — Just over 10 years ago, the ABA Criminal Justice Section launched a series of international white-collar crime conferences that have now reached around the globe. Join leaders in the field as they reflect on the evolution of international white-collar crime and contemplate what the next 10 years hold for international enforcement, cross-border investigations and legal regimes around the world.