John Cruden, assistant attorney general for the Department of Justice's Environment and Natural Resources Division, and crisis management expert Judy Smith will be the keynote speakers at the American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy and Resources Environmental and Workplace Safety Criminal Enforcement Conference, Oct. 26 at the Westin City Center in Washington, D.C.
Cruden will deliver opening remarks at 8:45 a.m. on the federal government's environmental and workplace safety criminal enforcement efforts to pursue criminal charges in cases involving worker endangerment. Smith will be the noon luncheon speaker and will talk on "Managing the Crisis Message How Can an Organization Prepare For an Investigation that Questions Its Commitment to Safety?"
Program highlights include:
- "Responding to a Workplace Safety or Significant Environmental Incident: Government and Private Sector Perspectives on a Changed Landscape after the New Enforcement" - This panel will explore how businesses should approach the immediate aftermath of a major workplace or environmental incident and how to respond to the government agencies that may descend following a major event, including the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, the National Transportation Safety Board, Environmental Protection Agency, FBI, U.S. Attorney's Office and the DOJ's Environmental Crimes Section.
- "Managing Internal Investigations in the Era of Heightened Focus on Individual Liability for Corporate Violations" -The panel will discuss the challenges faced by companies, their boards of directors, corporate managers, in-house counsel and outside counsel in the conduct of internal investigations, particularly in the aftermath of significant workplace or environmental incidents and provide attendees with insight in how to manage such investigations in this new era.
- "Trial of Criminal Environment and Workplace Safety Cases" - A panel of key litigators including Deborah Harris, chief of the DOJ's Environmental Crimes Section from the Atlantic States workplace safety enforcement case and the Deepwater Horizon disaster will discuss the legal and evidentiary issues confronted in such cases, challenges faced by both the prosecution and defense, and issues that may inform the handling of these matters at their earliest stages.
Published: Fri, Oct 21, 2016
