MATERIALS:
Program Agenda
Panelist Biographies
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SESSIONS:

Can We Turn the Impact of the Pandemic Into a Bias-Busting Slingshot? Women in the Law in 2022 

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Presenters:
Christine Esckilsen, Managing Director & Chief Human Capital Officer, Piper Sandler Companies
Katie Lichty, Assistant General Counsel (Animal Nutrition) + Lead IP Counsel, Land O'Lakes, Inc.
Dr. Artika Tyner, Ed.D., M.P.P., J.D., Planting People Growing Justice; Clinical Professor, University of St. Thomas School of Law
Nisha Verma and Cate Heaven Young, Dorsey & Whitney LLP 

In the last 2.5 years, the pandemic has heaped a muddled pile of good and bad onto workforces and workplaces. Women in the legal profession have felt this in particular ways; there is the upside: legitimization of working from home and more flexible schedules, improved technological capability, more attention by employers to pay equity and to supporting families. But also the downside: balancing work and caregiving, overwhelming inequities in caregiving, and unsustainable demands on time and energy. A reported 865,000 women left the U.S workforce in September 2020 alone, a rate of four times as much as seen by men. Within the practice of law, recent surveys indicate that up to 25% of women lawyers are considering leaving the workforce. With so many gains for women in the law in the last 30 years, how do we keep the momentum moving forward, not backward, in light of the impacts of the pandemic? We have been propelled ahead, like a slingshot, into a new work world—and this panel of women attorneys will explore the personal experiences, insights, and leadership necessary to make it a place that supports, not detracts from, real gender diversity and equity in the legal profession.


Anatomy of an Antitrust Merger Investigation

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Presenters:
Dr. Tasneem Chipty, Managing Principal, Chipty Economics 
Carla Framil Ferrán, General Counsel, Liberty Communications of Puerto Rico LLC 
Anthony Badaracco, Matthew Ralph and Jaime Stilson, Dorsey & Whitney LLP

This session will provide a practical overview of federal antitrust investigations of mergers and acquisitions from start to (hopefully) finish in the current regulatory environment. Topics will include: evaluating antitrust risk in a potential transaction; addressing (and allocating) antitrust risk in the transaction documents; basics of Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act filings; initial dealings with FTC/DOJ; responding to second requests; advocating for closing the investigation (including negotiating remedies); and preparing for litigation if necessary. 


Everything Everywhere All At Once: Advising Your Board in the Age of ESG 

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Presenters:
James Chosy, Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel, U.S. Bancorp 
Trevor Gunderson, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, General Mills, Inc. 
Amy Schneider, Vice President, Corporate Secretary and Securities, Xcel Energy Inc. 
Robert Rosenbaum and Cam Hoang, Dorsey & Whitney LLP 

Boards of Directors today face a broad array of novel and complex issues – war in Europe, the highest inflation rate in 40 years, continuing supply chain and workforce disruptions, and dramatic climatic events, to name a few, as they try to balance oversight of the immediate needs of their corporate entities with a necessary focus on strategically ensuring the long-term strength of those entities. And, these challenges are layered in an environment of increasing scrutiny and heightened demands from a diverse and powerful set of stakeholders and regulators. Ensuring that your directors are informed and equipped to fulfill their fiduciary duties is even more essential today, and requires continuous reassessment of priorities, processes and controls. This session will tackle the most relevant and urgent corporate governance issues of the day, offering practical, creative insight and approaches from an all-star panel of experienced advisors.


The Fine Line Between Fast and Too Fast: Impacts of Updated Regulatory Guidance on Cyber Incident Reporting in the Financial and Critical Infrastructure Sectors

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Presenters:
Alison Atkins,
Assistant General Counsel and Vice President, Cybersecurity, U.S. Bank National Association
Jennifer Smestad, Vice President,
General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Otter Tail Power Company
Robert Cattanach
and Jennifer Coates, Dorsey & Whitney LLP 

The Prudential Regulator Guidance for the financial sector, effective in April 2022, and the mandate to the Director of the Critical Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to undertake similar regulatory initiatives in the recent Omnibus Budget bill, both require incredibly short notification obligations of cyber incidents to federal regulators (36 and 72 hours respectively). These well-intentioned initiatives have massive potential unintended consequences, and serious potential liabilities, for the private sector. This panel will provide a high level overview of the interplay among the various reporting obligations under state and federal law, and address the practical challenges created by the expedited reporting timelines.  


Professional Discipline of In-House Counsel: Who Complains, What are the Areas of Ethical Exposure and What Happens?

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Presenters:
Abigail Cerra, Senior Counsel, Wells Fargo & Company 
Sydney Crowder, Vice President & Group Counsel – Litigation and Investigations, Ameriprise Financial, Inc. 
Kenneth Jorgensen, Dorsey & Whitney LLP 

No question, the rules of professional conduct apply to in-house counsel just as they do to lawyers in private practice. Although ethics complaints or grievances against in-house counsel are infrequent, they do get filed. Our panel will cover where and how ethics complaints against in-house counsel typically originate, areas of ethical exposure for in-house counsel, best practices to avoid complaints, and real life cases involving in-house counsel who were professionally disciplined. 


Stormy Waters: Navigating Disruptions in International Trade and Investment

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Presenters:
Jennifer Okerlund, Director Counsel, International Trade, Target Corporation
Glenn Salvo, Senior Corporate Counsel, The Mosaic Company
Christopher Bercaw, Catherine Pan and Larry Ward, Dorsey & Whitney LLP

“Batten down the hatches so you’re not left high and dry” is sage wisdom at sea and in our current global economy. Indeed, the weather is rough out there—the stormy collision of war, humanitarian crises, natural disasters, the ongoing pandemic, and rising prices and inflation, has created considerable disruption and uncertainty in supply chains and international commerce. Our panel will discuss the factors with the most significant impact in the last year, and help strategize for how best to keep your ship afloat and on course under the increasing whirl of conflict, trade barriers, sanctions, investment reviews, and other legislative and executive actions. After all, they say rough seas make stronger sailors…. 


The New Economy in Flux: Leadership Lessons for In-House Counsel

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Presenter:
April Rinne, Founder & Chief Change Navigator, April Worldwide & Author of the book FLUX: 8 Superpowers for Thriving in Constant Change

As a renowned expert on emerging digital technologies and the new economy in all its forms, and a background as a practicing attorney, April has an uncanny ability to unpack the headlines and hype: decoding crucial terminology, highlighting new forms of disruptive innovation, and identifying underlying trends to help leaders across industries, including within the legal profession, forge a successful path forward. Touching on major shifts from centralized institutions to decentralized networks, and how to build trust in new ways, April is a hands-on guide to the new economy in a world in flux. Her gift is to help leaders within law departments of organizations see change consistently as an opportunity, not a threat, and to cast a brighter vision for their future—the future of the legal profession and humanity’s shared future—as a result.