Corporate crisis management requires managing multiple fronts, including public relations, internal and external investigations, civil and sometimes criminal litigation. The value of a company's brand and reputation cannot be overstated, and successfully navigating a corporate crisis requires balancing the interests of stakeholders, regulators, the courts, and the public. Thanks to the support of Steptoe & Johnson LLP, APABA-DC and co-sponsor SABA-DC are proud to present a distinguished panel to speak to the many delicate facets of corporate crisis management. Our panelists include:
- Anjali Chaturvedi (Assistant General Counsel, Northrop Grumman Corporation)
Anjali is currently the Assistant General Counsel for Investigations for Northrop Grumman Corporation where she leads Northrop Grumman's global investigations team. Prior to joining Northrop Grumman, Anjali was the Assistant General Counsel at BP where she was the lead in-house lawyer for the criminal and SEC investigations related to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon accident. She also led the legal regulatory team with oversight for matters involving antibribery and corruption, trade controls and antitrust. Prior to going in-house, Anjali was a Government Investigations & White Collar partner at Nixon Peabody for several years. She started her career as an Assistant United States Attorney where she served for 12 years, 10 years in the DC office and 2 years in the Northern District of California, where she held various line and supervisory roles. During her tenure at the Justice Department, Anjali also was detailed to serve as Counsel to Senator Dianne Feinstein on the Senate Judiciary Committee. She is a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center and Cornell University.
- Lucinda Low (Partner, Steptoe & Johnson LLP)
Lucinda Low heads Steptoe & Johnson LLP's Compliance, Investigations, Trade and Enforcement Department. Her practice includes representing audit committees, boards of directors, and companies in internal, government, and international financial institution audits, investigations, and enforcement matters involving fraud, bribery, corruption, and other compliance issues. Lucinda is recognized by Chambers market commentators for her "incredible technical proficiency, spectacular advocacy skills, and cultural know-how." She has particular authority in matters involving the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and other anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws, and other international business compliance issues.
Lucinda is a member of the Board of Directors of the Coalition for Integrity (formerly known as Transparency International - USA), and also a member of the Secretary of State's Advisory Committee on International Law. She is a former president of the American Society of International Law and a former chair of the ABA Section of International Law. She was the 2003 recipient of the William Ray Vallance Award presented by the Inter-American Bar Foundation, presented to an individual who has made a significant contribution toward improving the law and jurisprudence of the Western Hemisphere.
- Adrienne Woodward Petz (Executive Vice President, Edelman, Crisis and Risk, Washington, DC)
A veteran communicator with over 25 years' experience, Adrienne partners with her clients to develop, manage and execute strategic programs that meet their communications needs while striking a delicate balance between the communications and legal worlds. Her work focuses on preparing and assisting clients who are facing challenges to their reputations. She offers her clients superior knowledge and strategic judgment on a variety of risk-related issues including: antitrust, class action lawsuits, consumer product recalls, corporate malfeasance, crisis preparation and risk mitigation, data breach and security, government and congressional investigations, intellectual property rights and labor union corporate campaigns.
Her clients have included a cross-section of national and international industry leaders: AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, CME Group, Graco, H&R Block, Iraq Study Group, McGraw-Hill Education, Microsoft Corporation, Nissan, PhRMA, Samsung, SAP, Shell, Standard & Poors, Starbucks, Toyota, Walmart and Wawa. Adrienne has won several industry awards for programs she directed, including a PRSA Silver Anvil, two PR Week and three SABRE awards. The work she did for the International Research & Exchanges Board helped free a woman from an Iranian prison and was honored to be named both the Crisis and Public Affairs Campaigns of the Year from PR Week.
Previous to Edelman, Adrienne worked on Capitol Hill where she served in several positions and was deputy director of communications for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science. The Science Committee is the only congressional committee whose primary focus is science and technology issues. Adrienne graduated with honors from American University, where she earned a dual bachelor's degree in psychology and law and society.
The discussions will be "off-the-record" and closed to the press. The views of the panelists are their own and are not representative in any way of the views of their employers. Light appetizers and refreshments will be provided courtesy of Steptoe & Johnson LLP. This event is being co-sponsored by the South Asian Bar Association of Washington, DC.
If you have any questions, please contact Lloyd Liu, VP of Education for APABA-DC (education@apaba-dc.org), Yifang Zhao, AVP of Education for APABA-DC (education@apaba-dc.org), or Judy Wang, Awards Committee Co-Chair (awards@apaba-dc.org).
Date: Wednesday, February 12, 2020, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Place: Steptoe & Johnson LLP, 1330 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC
