Current Happenings by and for Women in White Collar Defense
Amy Greer from Morgan, Lewis & Bockius represented three AIG affiliates in 9.5 million settlement with the SEC. According to the charges, the AIG affiliates steered mutual fund clients toward more expensive share classes, which resulted in them collecting approximately $2 million in extra fees. The firms entered a settlement where they neither admitted nor denied the charges. They agreed to the disgorgement of the two million dollars in fees, plus interest and 7.5 million in penalties.
Catching Up with Other Women White Collar Criminal Defense Lawyers
I recently attended the ABA White Collar Conference in San Diego, which resulted in some great opportunities to connect with other women in the field. The annual Women White Collar Defense Association had its annual event in La Jolla the day before the conference began. The ABA Women White Collar Subcommittee also held a reception for women white collar lawyers on the first night of the conference. There was also a fascinating panel discussion titled “Women in the Courtroom: a View from the Jury Box,” which presented a new study on the role of gender in the courtroom and its effect on jurors, which I hope to highlight in the future.
Sally Yates Discussed the Infamous Yates Memo
The ABA 30th Annual National Institute on White Collar Crime Seminar included an important question and answer style interview with Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates about the now famous “Yates Memo.” In her Q&A Sally Yates appeared open and approachable in her effort to directly address some of the questions and concerns about the new policy. At one point she comically noted that she wasn’t comfortable calling the new policy the “Yates Memo,” and preferred to call it the individual culpability memo. It is a must listen to for anyone working in the white collar defense sector - you can listen to it here.
Caldwell Denies Certification Requirements
Finally, although I missed it in person, there were reports that Leslie Caldwell rejected media statements that the Department of Justice would soon require corporations to certify they disclosed all information about individual culpability before they would be granted cooperation credit. In her remarks during the conference, Caldwell denied that any certification requirement was being planned for the future. Read what others lawyers present reported here.