The Officers & Directors of SCG Legal thank local member/host firm Adams and Reese LLP for its generous hospitality during the 2023 Annual Meeting, which was held at The Ritz-Carlton on September 21 and September 22.
PRESENTATIONS
Session titles link to videos and presenter names link to bios. Click HERE for the full meeting agenda and click HERE for a copy of all the PowerPoint presentations from the meeting, including: SCG Legal’s Year in Review, Keynote Presentation (Strategic Foresight: The Future of AI and How Emerging Technologies Will Change the World by Samantha Jordan), Women in Law Fireside Chat, Supply Chain Trends Shaping the Future of International Trade, and Coming to America: Immigration Options & Tax Implications.
WELCOME & OPENING REMARKS
Mark Dunphy, Hall & Wilcox (Australia: Melbourne) | Chair, SCG Legal
Alina Gorokhovsky, CEO, SCG Legal
KEYNOTE | STRATEGIC FORESIGHT: THE FUTURE OF AI AND HOW EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES WILL CHANGE THE WORLD
Keynote Speaker: Samantha Jordan, Futurist & Consultant, Future Today Institute
Sam is a futurist and optimist on a mission to spread ‘plausible optimism’ about the possibilities of emerging technologies. As a consultant with the Future Today Institute, she explores how emerging technologies will change the future of humanity across nearly every industry. Previously an IBM client leader helping enterprise clients modernize their IT environments, Sam founded a data management platform company and now advises organizations on navigating disruption and tech-driven transformation. She also mentors NYU Stern MBA students in strategic foresight and led the Carnegie New Leaders program at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, creating programming for the next generation of leaders across sectors to engage deeply with ethics.
CROSS-BORDER M&A TRENDS
As companies look for opportunities in new places in which to grow, cross-border mergers and acquisitions have emerged as one of the ways to gain new market and customer access. As these types of deal activities continue, companies will need to consider the risks and rewards associated with pursuing these ventures versus making greenfield investments. This session will examine the issues for which companies must prepare when engaging in cross-border deals and offer insights on how their complexities can be successfully managed.
Moderator: Thomas Bähler, Kellerhals Carrard (Switzerland)
Panelists: Jacqui Barrett, Hall & Wilcox (Australia: Melbourne); Patrick De Ridder, McGuireWoods (US: Virginia); Shivpriya Nanda, JSA (India); James Raanan, Amit, Pollak, Matalon & Co. (Israel)
BREAKOUT SESSION | DISPUTE RESOLUTION TRENDS: LITIGATION vs. ARBITRATION
2023 continues to be another challenging year for many businesses around the world. From the disruption and fallout caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine to soaring energy prices, inflation, and supply chain disruptions, companies are facing significant new hurdles and complex legal challenges, many of which are driving new trends in litigation and arbitration. This panel will offer insights and practical guidance on the most effective dispute resolution mechanisms—litigation vs. arbitration—for a wide range of matters, regionally as well as cross-border globally.
Moderator: Tatiana Sainati, Wiley (US: Washington, D.C.)
Panelists: Krista Chaytor, WeirFoulds (Canada: Ontario); Lauren Liang, Clark Wilson (Canada: British Columbia); Caroline Mackie, Poyner Spruill (US: North Carolina)
BREAKOUT SESSON | SUPPLY CHAIN TRENDS SHAPING THE FUTURE OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE
International companies and supply chain professionals have faced unprecedented upheavals over the past several years. A confluence of events from the pandemic to geopolitical tensions caused significant, ongoing disruption to the way companies now do business across the globe. This panel will offer insights on a range of current and emerging international trade and supply chain management trends, including the latest information from across the globe on critical legal and policy issues like customs, sanctions, antidumping, global trade policies, export control, sourcing, and logistics.
Moderator: Jayne Hussey, Mills & Reeve (UK)
Panelists: Cole Callihan, Adams and Reese (US: Louisiana); Denisse Correa, FABREGA MOLINO (Panama); Chris Weld, Wiley (US: Washington, D.C.)
LAW FIRM LEADERS: STRATEGIES THAT STRENGTHEN A FIRM
Law firm leaders will discuss the strategies they deploy to achieve growth and operational success as well as current efforts to ensure the financial prospects and firmwide culture of their respective firms remain strong. Discussion topics will include administrative best practices; firmwide cultural shifts; business development tactics and intensions; environmental, social, and governance (ESG) programs; hybrid workforce policies; diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives; and community partnerships.
Moderator: Bhavesh Patel, Travers Thorp Alberga (Cayman Islands)
Panelists: Mariano Batalla, Alta Batalla (Costa Rica); Jenni Dickson, Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler (US: New York, NY); Gary Franklin, Primmer Piper Eggleston & Cramer (US: Vermont); Douglas Gold, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp (US: Los Angeles, CA); James Goodnow, Fennemore (US: Arizona)
BREAKOUT | GLOBAL PROSPECTS FOR THE ENERGY SECTOR/ CLIMATE CHANGE
Energy systems around the world are undergoing rapid transitions that will greatly affect how cars are fueled, homes are heated, and industries are powered. These trends and U.S. state-by-state carbon reduction goals will have significant implications for governments, businesses, and individuals in the years ahead. This panel will examine
some of the major economic, environmental, and social policies plus regulatory compliance trends shaping the future of the energy sector to address climate change.
Moderator: Kenneth Baldwin, Robinson+Cole (US: Connecticut)
Panelists: Ainsley Heffernan, Beauchamps (Ireland); Jeff Trotter, Adams and Reese (US: Louisiana); Steve Tugend, Kegler Brown Hill + Ritter (US: Ohio)
BREAKOUT | HEALTHCARE TRENDS ACROSS AMERICA
In the U.S., healthcare providers and life science companies are at the forefront of patient care and clinical research. Still, it is important that these organizations understand how to detect problems to protect their patients as well as their corporate interests while working with federal government entities such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), state government authorities, and various healthcare compliance enforcers. This panel will explore how healthcare companies can pursue growth while remaining in compliance with a range of U.S. regulations and policies. Panelists will also discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the healthcare sector, which is expanding in new directions due to the global health crisis.
Moderator: Theodore Adams, McGuireWoods (US: Virginia)
Panelists: Alexis Glascock, Fennemore (US: Arizona); Lisa Rivera, Bass, Berry & Sims (US: Tennessee); Jessica Vaughn, Wiley (US: Washington, D.C.)
BREAKOUT | DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES: DIGITAL CURRENCY AND AI – TRENDS, CHALLENGES, AND BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
Advances in technology are adding significant pressure to the pace of business. Despite recent issues impacting the cryptocurrency industry – including bankruptcies, fraud, and falling prices – this market, in 2023, has maintained a +$1.17 trillion cap and recorded upwards of 320 million people across the globe using digital currency. Also, the use and influence of artificial intelligence (AI) systems has substantially increased in recent years, which is particularly evident in the legal sector where law firms and their clients are harnessing the power of AI to enhance operations and drive revenue growth. This panel will discuss the trends happening across these two disruptive sectors as well as what
new challenges they will open for the legal industry as governments and other stakeholders around the world develop new laws, regulations, oversight bodies, and rules to address their impact.
Moderator: Edward Longosz, Eckert Seamans (US: Pennsylvania)
Panelists: Tim Anzenberger, Adams and Reese (US: Louisiana); David McCarville, Fennemore (US: Arizona); Douglas McDonald, Mills & Reeve (UK)
BREAKOUT | COMING TO AMERICA: IMMIGRATION OPTIONS AND TAX IMPLICATIONS
This panel will offer key insights surrounding the evolving U.S. immigration policy landscape, including short- and long-term implications for mobility of employers and their employees. Panelists will discuss tax and estate planning strategies to prepare for cross-border estate and gift tax issues, including pre-immigration tax strategy.
Moderator: Autumn Ronda, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp (US: Los Angeles, CA)
Panelists: Mary Kate Fernandez, Adams and Reese (US: Louisiana); Alycia Moss, Hawley Troxell (US: Idaho)
IN THE U.S.: THE STATE OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS & ADVOCACY
Government policies and regulations have an impact on all companies doing business in the U.S. Their impact has accelerated in the last several years because they pit governments and companies against one another in the difficult task of avoiding failure while growing the economy. Panelists will discuss what is happening in their individual states and how these developments impact industries across the country.
Moderator: Robert Rieger, Adams and Reese (US: Louisiana)
Panelists: Beth Clay, The Clay Firm (US: Mississippi); Shane LaVigne, Capitol Advocacy (US: California); Jonathan McCardle, Featherstonhaugh, Wiley & Clyne (US: Albany, NY); Allyce Trapp, Adams and Reese (US: Louisiana); Steve Tugend, Kegler Brown Hill + Ritter (US: Ohio)