Harvard/STL Professor Speaks at 18th Shenzhen Legal Forum

On June 23, 2016, STL and Benchmark Chambers International co-hosted the 18th Shenzhen Legal Forum featuring Harvard Law Professor Matthew Stephenson, a distinguished visiting professor at STL. Professor Stephenson delivered remarks on, “FCPA and Its Implications to China Companies Doing Business in the U.S.” Over 200 lawyers and leaders from the Shenzhen Lawyers Association, the Shenzhen Academy of Legal Culture, the Luohu District Court, the Qianhai Authority, and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade attended the Forum held at Peking University’s Shenzhen Graduate Campus.

Professor Stephenson discussed the principal provisions of The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), which was passed in the United States in 1977. He discussed the expansive interpretation of “official” used by U.S. enforcement authorities. FCPA also imposes accounting transparency requirements under the Securities Exchange Act on all entities, including foreign entities, listing on the U.S. stock exchange. He stressed that stepped-up investigations and prosecutions under FCPA demand that companies undertake effective risk assessment, due diligence and compliance measures.

Professor Stephenson is a world-renowned scholar of the application of positive political theory to public law, particularly in the areas of administrative procedure, anticorruption, judicial institutions, and separation of powers. He teaches courses on statutory interpretation and international anti-corruption law in STL’s cutting-edge J.D./J.M. curriculum.