Global Anti-Corruption Committee

    Committee Description

    The Committee plans, organizes and sponsors events and publications in the anti-corruption field; works closely with, among others, the International Section’s Anti-Corruption Committee and some of its constituents, as well as the ABA Corporate Social Responsibility and Forced Labor Task Force, and the ABA President's Task Force on Human Trafficking.

    The Global Anti-Corruption Committee's principal purpose is to monitor, evaluate, and report on developments under trans-national anti-bribery instruments such as the United Kingdom Bribery Act, the German Anti-Corruption Act, the Japanese Unfair Competition Prevention Law, Russia’s National Plan for Counteraction to Corruption, South Africa’s Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.N. Convention Against Corruption, and the OECD Anti-Corruption Convention, among other anti-corruption analog apparatuses.

    Co-Chairs

    Andrew Boutros

    T. Markus Funk

    Preston Pugh

    Mara Senn

    Goals (2020-2021)

    After celebrating our 10-year anniversary last year, the ABA Criminal Justice Section Global Anti-Corruption Committee is ready to start its 11th year since inception with a bang, despite COVID-19.  For a decade, the Section’s Global Anti-Corruption Committee has been a powerful voice in the international anti-corruption dialogue.  As Committee Chairs, we are excited to continue in that strong tradition.  In doing so, we intend to build on the Committee’s many years’ of stewardship and hard work.  We will do so by continuing to provide cutting-edge content and support to the many constituents who practice in, and follow, the anti-corruption field.  We also intend to make diversity an important focus of our work.  Diversity makes us stronger and wiser as we draw on the life and professional experiences of our many stakeholders and constituents.  Drawing on talent and experience from all over the world, we think we can achieve greater diversity.  In that regard, as Chairs our jobs are to harness that members’ many talents to continue to make the Section’s Global Anti-Corruption Committee a leading voice for good and for the fight against corruption.  What follows are some concrete goals that the Committee intends to achieve in the coming fiscal year: 

    First, and foremost, we intend to make diversity a key priority.  We will work hard to achieve diversity across our memberships, activities, and ideas.  Our membership is our greatest strength; we recognize that and we intend to work hard to promote this objective.

    Second, given the pandemic, we have to do things differently.  Although we have been hosting life events as part of our two series, the National Roundtable Series and The Foreign Corruption Prosecutor Series, we intend to take these series online and continue to provide cutting-edge content to our members and others, but do so through the online medium.  Not only will this allow us to continue to serve our members and others, but it will ensure that our profile and content remains cutting edge, even as we work around COVID-19 and the limitations it has imposed on all of us.

    Third, as it has done in years past, the Committee intends to continue to work to increase its membership.  We view such growth is yet another sign of the Committee’s vitality—and demonstrative proof of the strength of its work and the market’s recognition of that strength.  We continue to look forward to expanding our footprint and membership role in the global anti-corruption community.

    Fourth, in coordination with Committee Co-Chair Markus Funk and Perkins Coie, the Committee has launched a podcast series as an extension of our Committee work and Perkin Coie’s White Collar Briefly blog.  In August 2020, the podcast was named the #2 U.S. white collar podcast, blog, or website.  We intend to continue team up with Markus and Perkins on this important project.  To give you a sense of the strength of that collaboration, the first five episodes feature fascinating, candid conversations with a variety of special guests, including:

    • American “book of the year” author, editor, screenplay writer and publisher Dave Eggers
    • Joel Esquenazi (defendant in the high-profile US v. Esquenazi FCPA case)
    • Molson Coors’ Global Ethics & Compliance Chief Caroline McMichen
    • Chicago-based U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall
    • University of Colorado COO (and former GC) Patrick O’Rourke
    • Avanos Medical Deputy GC Ross Mansbach

    Fifth, the Committee intends to continue to run and update the LinkedIn ABA Global Anti-Corruption Group.  This LinkedIn page is home to one of the largest anti-corruption groups of its kind, with more than 1,100 diverse members from around the world and an average of 5-10 daily entries.  During the global pandemic, we think that maintaining our online presence is more important than ever because it ensures that our contacts remain in close contact with one another and lose touch with the pulse of the Committee or its work.

    Sixth, as part of its ongoing efforts to support and help collaborate on the important work being done by the CJS and other ABA Sections, the Committee will continue to collaborate closely with other ABA and external constituents, such as the International Section and its Anti-Corruption Committee.

    Seventh, Co-Chairs Markus Funk and Andrew Boutros completed their Oxford University Press book on global anti-corruption.  OUP is the world’s largest—and second oldest— academic press.  We are proud of our collective efforts to publish a book featuring timely anti-corruption-related chapters by Committee members and others.  We looking forward to working with the ABA, the Section, and the Committee to continue to introduce the book to others given the close relationship between the book and the Committee’s activities.