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Above Board: Corporate Responsibility and Risks - Human Rights in Europe and the US

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In this episode of the Above Board podcast, Morrison Foerster partner and host Dave Lynn discusses recent legal developments 

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Above Board: Corporate Responsibility and Risks - Human Rights in Europe and the US

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<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe class="sticky-video" title="Meet MoFo San Francisco Head of Litigation Stacey Sprenkel" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="1" frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/wNOyJe_ZnZI?rel=0" title="iframe"></iframe></div>Stacey is a member of Morrison Foerster's ESG + Sustainability, Global Ethics and Compliance, and FCPA + Global Anti-Corruption practices. She regularly assists clients with assessing compliance risks across a broad range of issues and developing strategies to mitigate risks. She conducts anti-corruption, human rights, and compliance-focused due diligence in connection with acquisitions and other transactions, and provides day‑to‑day counseling on a broad range of compliance issues.Stacey’s practice is focused on pro-active compliance risk mitigation and counseling. She works with legal and compliance teams, executive leadership, and boards of directors to assess compliance risks across organizations, and to assess whether existing compliance programs and controls are sufficient to address identified risks. She assists with ESG risk mapping exercises and human rights impact/saliency analyses, as well as compliance program benchmarking exercises. She helps companies from start-ups to large global companies develop and enhance compliance programs, and assists with the development of strategies to stay ahead evolving legal regimes and enforcement environments. Stacey leverages her master’s degree in human rights to advise companies in connection with not only avoiding corruption, human rights, and other ethics and compliance risks and issues, but also in developing effective mechanisms to remediate such issues if they arise.When issues do arise, Stacey also leads corporate internal investigations spanning a broad range of issues, including bribery, kickbacks, embezzlement, self-dealing, insider trading, accounting fraud, economic espionage, and health care fraud. Stacey advises clients related to these issues in jurisdictions around the globe, including in North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Russia, India, and Asia-Pacific. She also represents clients in connection with SEC and DOJ investigations and enforcement proceedings, and in complex commercial litigation involving False Claims Act, civil RICO, and antitrust matters.Stacey was named to the 2018 list of the “Top 40 Under 40” lawyers in California by the Daily Journal and was also recognized by the Daily Journal as being among the “Top Five Associates to Watch” in California in 2013. She was recently shortlisted for Compliance Lawyer of the Year as part of the 2020 Women in Compliance Awards. She has also been previously recognized by The Recorder as being among the “Lawyers on the Fast Track,” a list of attorneys in California whose early accomplishments indicate they will be tomorrow’s top lawyers and leaders. In addition, Euromoney Legal Media Group selected her as one of eight women recognized on a 2014 shortlist of litigation rising stars for the “Americas Women in Business Law Awards,” which honors the achievements of women leading the legal sector across the Americas. She has also been recommended as a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers every year since 2009.Stacey regularly speaks on panels on issues related to ESG, human rights, and anti-corruption compliance. Most recently she served as a panelist for MoFo’s “ESG + GCs: Practices, Priorities and Perspectives” webinar, joined a co-branded webinar with McKinsey on “Elevating the Bar for Transparency: SEC Proposed Rules & Potential Implications for Investors,” and participated in EY’s Leading with Integrity Webcast during a panel session focused on “Mitigating Fraud and Corruption risks in ESG.” She will also be joining Ethisphere’s upcoming ESG Virtual Forum to lead a panel focused on “The Regulators are Coming: Should Ethics & Compliance Take the Lead on ESG.”Stacey has long been a champion for veterans’ rights and has been a key team member on several high-profile impact cases on behalf of veterans. These cases include a class action on behalf of veterans who were exposed to chemical and biological substances during their time in service as a result of secret human testing programs conducted by the United States military along with an action brought on behalf of veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder against the Department of Veterans Affairs for failure to provide statutorily mandated benefits and healthcare to returning troops. She has also been involved with proposed legislation relating to veterans’ rights and consults on a number of other matters (judicial and legislative) related to veterans’ rights. Stacey has also handled a number of other pro bono matters, including advising an anti-corruption organization in The Gambia about proposed anti-corruption legislation and working with the Northern California Innocence Project in an effort to secure the release of a prisoner who has been serving 24 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.Stacey was the head of Morrison Foerster’s San Francisco Litigation Department for five years. She is admitted to practice in California.<h4>Representative Experience</h4><h5>Human Rights and ESG-Focused Matters</h5><ul><li>ESG Risk Mapping Exercise. Assisted a leading global technology company in connection with mapping ESG legal and compliance-related risks across the organization in order to develop appropriate risk mitigation strategies.</li><li>Human Rights Supply Chain Tracing Exercise. Assisting global company in connection with strategy to trace the supply chain of a newly acquired entity with operations and suppliers in Xinjiang, China.</li><li>Accountability Mechanisms. Assisting financial institutions in connection with developing accountability mechanisms for individuals in local communities who face human rights impacts as a result of projects in which they invest to seek information and potential redress.</li><li>Policy Refresh. Assist global company in connection with developing and enhancing both internal and external-facing ESG-related policies (addressing human rights, anti-corruption, AML, DE&I, and other related topics).</li></ul><h5>Investigations and Risk Assessments</h5><ul><li>Asia-Pacific FCPA Investigation. Conducting review of potential payment issues in India and other Asia-Pacific countries for a leading technology company.</li><li>False Claims Act/Fraud Investigation. Representing special committee of Board of Directors in connection with government investigation and internal investigation regarding potential fraudulent transactions and false claims act violations.</li><li>Global FCPA Investigation. Represented a Fortune 500 company in an internal investigation of potential FCPA violations in Latin American and Asia-Pacific countries.</li><li>Asia-Pacific FCPA Investigation. Represented a leading global technology company in an internal investigation of potential FCPA violations in Asia-Pacific countries.</li><li>Global Risk Assessment. Assisted a technology company with significant international operations in conducting an anti-corruption risk assessment and is currently assisting the company with updating its policies, procedures, and training plan to reflect learnings from the assessment.</li><li>Global Risk Assessment. Represented a Fortune 500 company with significant operations in Asia and Latin America in conducting an anti-corruption risk assessment. Following the risk assessment, assisted with development of global compliance program, including developing policies and training, and procedures for screening third parties.</li></ul><h5>FCPA Due Diligence</h5><ul><li>Global Anti-Corruption Due Diligence. Represented a leading technology company in connection with anti-corruption due diligence of a U.S.-based target with significant operations in Asia and the Middle East.</li><li>FCPA Diligence of Medical Device Company. Represented a global medical device company in connection with anti-corruption diligence of a target with global operations.</li><li>Global Anti-Corruption Due Diligence. Represented a global technology company in connection with anti-corruption due diligence of a UK-based target with substantial business in Europe, Russia, India, Asia, and Latin America.</li><li>Global Anti-Corruption Due Diligence. Represented a Fortune 500 company in connection with anti-corruption diligence of an Africa-based target with significant operations in Africa and the Middle East.</li><li>Post-Acquisition FCPA/Compliance Review. Represented a Fortune 100 company with a post-acquisition anti-corruption compliance review of a newly acquired business with operations and significant government touch points in Russia, Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.</li></ul>

Stacey Sprenkel

Partner

Patrick has more than 15 years of experience advising clients on compliance and corporate governance and on internal investigations. His practice has a particular emphasis on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) related topics.Patrick focuses his advisory work on internal investigations, setting up compliance management systems and adapting them to a broad range of new risks, such as those relevant for global value chains. This includes, for example, supply chain risk management for Germany’s Supply Chain Due Diligence Act and related human rights-motivated complaints and litigation; prevention and investigation of white-collar crime (e.g., bribery, fraud, corruption, embezzlement, and U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) matters); avoidance of economic sanctions; and fulfillment of tax and environmental law requirements. He also advises clients on ESG requirements derived from the laws of the European Union (CSRD, NFDR, CSDDD). He is a member Morrison Foerster’s global ESG Steering Committee.His practice specifically covers internal investigations to detect misdemeanors and assessments of compliance management systems. He conducts due diligence on sales intermediaries, on joint venture partners, and during M&A transactions in Germany and abroad. He also develops compliance training programs. He is a member of the Morrison Foerster’s Corporate, Compliance and Investigations team, which was shortlisted by JUVE for the award for Compliance Firm of the Year in 2023.Patrick represents clients in litigation proceedings and has advised them in the context of German and international arbitration proceedings (ICC, VIAC, and ad hoc), on complaints and procedures about alleged human rights violations, and on stock corporation law disputes. He also handles cases where clients are pursuing and defending damages claims arising out of compliance failures and advises on related directors and officers (D&O) insurance coverage.Patrick is a member of the Committee for Corporate Social Responsibility and Compliance of the German Bar Association. He is a frequent speaker at conferences and webinars and is a lecturer at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, where he presents and teaches on compliance, internal investigations, and ESG. Patrick regularly publishes articles relating to compliance and ESG issues, international and European civil litigation, and alternative dispute resolution in academic and professional journals and in the daily press. He is the co-editor of the Berlin Commentary on the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (Erich Schmidt Verlag, 2024).<h4>Representative Experience</h4><ul><li>Counseling a German multinational company with regard to criminal allegations about the use of forced labor in its international supply chain</li><li>Advising a German multinational company regarding alleged human rights violations in its supply chain</li><li>Conducting an investigation on behalf of Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen regarding equity trades around dividend date</li><li>Advising Mercedes-Benz Group AG regarding diesel emissions</li><li>Carrying out an internal investigation on behalf of the Supervisory Board of MAN SE with regard to bribery allegations and providing advice on the setup of MAN SE’s compliance organization</li><li>Assisting a German multinational company in complying with Germany’s Supply Chain Due Diligence Act</li><li>Advising various multinational companies on their CSRD-related reporting obligations</li><li>Advising investors on SFDR requirements</li><li>Representing a German bank in court proceedings to pursue damages arising out of noncompliance with tax obligations</li><li>Advising a German bank in relation to D&O insurance coverage</li><li>Defending a listed German biomedical company against rescissory actions by shareholders</li><li>Investigating tax structured transactions on behalf of a German bank</li><li>Representing a German bank in arbitral proceedings against a former director</li><li>Carrying out several internal investigations for an engineering group regarding business decisions relating to international infrastructure projects and joint ventures</li><li>Advising a German bank on pursuing damages claims against several former directors and related D&O insurance topics</li><li>Representing MAN SE in pursuing damages claims against former directors arising out of their responsibility for setting up a compliance organization and related D&O insurance topics</li><li>Advising Deutsche Bahn AG with regard to its damages claims arising out of a cartel among its railway track suppliers</li><li>Providing advice to, and conducting an investigation on behalf of, a German public listed company regarding its listing as a specially designated national by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control</li><li>Advising a U.S.-German multinational company with regard to an internal investigation of its Eastern European, Russian, and Central Asian sales network</li><li>Conducting an internal investigation on behalf of Hamburg Commercial Bank AG (previously HSH Nordbank AG) concerning the dismissal of managers</li><li>Completing several investigations of kickback payments and breach of trust in outsourcing projects</li></ul>

Patrick Späth berät seit mehr als 15 Jahren zu Compliance- und Corporate Governance-Themen sowie Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance („ESG“) und führt interne Untersuchungen durch.Thematische Schwerpunkte seiner Beratung sind interne Untersuchungen, der Aufbau von Compliance Management Systemen sowie deren Adaption an neue Risiken, wie zum Beispiel im Bereich globaler Lieferketten. Hierzu zählen das Supply-Chain-Risikomanagement, das deutsche Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz, die Prävention und Aufklärung wirtschaftskrimineller Verhaltensweisen (u. a. Bestechung, Betrug, Korruption, Untreue, US FCPA), Wirtschaftssanktionen sowie steuerrechtliche und umweltrechtliche Anforderungen. Des Weiteren berät er zu aktuellen und künftigen ESG-Anforderungen aus dem Recht der EU (CSRD, NFDR, draft CSDDD). Er ist Mitglied des weltweiten ESG Steering Committee von Morrison Foerster. Patrick Späth führt interne Untersuchungen zur Aufklärung von Fehlverhalten durch und bewertet Compliance Management Systeme. Des Weiteren führt er Due Diligence Prüfungen bei der Auswahl von Vertriebs- und Joint Venture Partnern sowie im Zusammenhang mit M&A Transaktionen in Deutschland und im Ausland durch und entwickelt und konzeptioniert Compliance-Schulungsprogramme. Er ist Mitglied des Corporate, Compliance und Investigations Teams von Morrison Foerster, das bei den JUVE Awards 2023 für die Auszeichnung „Kanzlei des Jahres für Compliance“ nominiert wurde.Patrick Späth vertritt Mandanten gerichtlich, außergerichtlich und vor Schiedsgerichten bei der Abwehr oder Geltendmachung von Ansprüchen im Zusammenhang mit Compliance-Verstößen, behaupteten Verletzungen von Lieferketten-Standards, in aktienrechtlichen Streitigkeiten sowie in Verhandlungen über die Deckung von Schadensersatzansprüchen durch D&O-Versicherer.Patrick Späth referiert regelmäßig bei Konferenzen und Webinaren. Er ist Lehrbeauftragter an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin für Compliance, interne Untersuchungen und ESG. Er publiziert zu zahlreichen Compliance- und ESG-Fragestellungen sowie zu Themen des europäischen und internationalen Zivilprozessrechts und der alternativen Streitbeilegung in Fachzeitschriften sowie in der Tagespresse. Er ist Mitglied des Ausschusses für Corporate Social Responsibility und Compliance beim Deutschen Anwaltsverein. Er ist Mitherausgeber und Autor des Berliner Kommentars zum Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz (Erich Schmidt Verlag, 2024).<h4>Referenzen</h4><ul><li dir="ltr">Untersuchungen für die Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen zu Aktiengeschäften in Nähe des Dividendenstichtags</li><li dir="ltr">Beratung der Mercedes-Benz Group AG im Zusammenhang mit Diesel-Emissionen</li><li dir="ltr">Durchführung einer internen Untersuchungen wegen Korruptionsvorwürfen im Auftrag des Aufsichtsrates der MAN SE und bei der Fortentwicklung der Compliance-Organisation</li><li dir="ltr">Beratung eines deutschen multinationalen Unternehmens bei der Einhaltung des Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetzes</li><li dir="ltr">Beratung eines deutschen multinationalen Unternehmens im Hinblick auf strafrechtliche Vorwürfe der Nutzung von Zwangsarbeit in seiner internationalen Lieferkette</li><li dir="ltr">Gerichtliche Vertretung einer Landesbank in Schadensersatzprozessen wegen Nichteinhaltung steuerrechtlicher Vorschriften</li><li dir="ltr">Laufende Beratung einer Bank zur D&O Versicherung</li><li dir="ltr">Vertretung eines börsennotierten Biomedizinunternehmens in aktienrechtlichen Anfechtungs- und Freigabeverfahren</li><li dir="ltr">Untersuchung für eine Landesbank zu steuerlich strukturierten Transaktionen</li><li dir="ltr">Vertretung einer deutschen Bank in einem Schiedsverfahren gegen ein ehemaliges Vorstandsmitglied</li><li dir="ltr">Vertretung einer Landesbank bei der außergerichtlichen und schiedsgerichtlichen Geltendmachung und Durchsetzung von Organhaftungsansprüchen und Beratung zu Fragen der D&O Versicherung</li><li dir="ltr">Beratung der MAN SE bei der Prüfung und Geltendmachung von Organhaftungsansprüchen und Verhandlungen mit D&O Versicherern</li><li dir="ltr">Geltendmachung von Schadensersatzansprüchen für die Deutsche Bahn wegen des sogenannten Schienenkartells</li><li dir="ltr">Beratung eines börsennotierten Unternehmens wegen seines SDN-Listings durch das Office of Foreign Assets Controls des U.S.-Finanzministeriums im Hinblick auf das Handelsembargo gegen den Iran</li><li dir="ltr">Beratung eines deutsch-amerikanischen multinationalen Unternehmens und interne Untersuchungen des osteuropäischen, russischen und zentralasiatischen Vertriebsnetzes</li><li dir="ltr">Interne Untersuchungen für die Hamburg Commercial Bank AG (ehemals HSH Nordbank AG) zu den Hintergründen von Entlassungen von Managern</li><li dir="ltr">Diverse Untersuchungen von Untreue- und Kickbackkonstellationen beim Outsourcing von Dienstleistungen</li></ul>