Join us for an exclusive in-person roundtable at Freshfields’ Washington, D.C. office, in partnership with BRC, to explore critical issues shaping board strategy in today’s volatile landscape. This high-level discussion will feature expert panels on:
This roundtable offers an invaluable opportunity for board leaders to gain insights, share perspectives, and prepare for the challenges ahead.
Tariffs, Enforcement, and Economic Impact – A deep dive into the evolving trade wars, tariff enforcement, inflationary effects, and strategic considerations for boards.
Partner Head of Sanctions and Export Controls Freshfields
Nabeel is a partner in Freshfields’ Washington, DC office, where he leads the US sanctions and export controls practice. Nabeel focuses on civil and criminal cross-border compliance, internal investigations, and enforcement issues related to economic sanctions, export controls, and trade.
Nabeel engages with government regulators on behalf of his clients across a range of industry sectors. He represents clients on sanctions administered by OFAC; export controls in the EAR and the ITAR; the FCPA; US antiboycott regulations; US customs law and import rules; and other civil and criminal statutes and regulations. Nabeel also advises clients on sanctions, export control, and anticorruption issues in cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, credit facilities, and capital markets transactions.
Nabeel helps clients navigate their most significant issues, including those related to Iran, Cuba, Russia, Venezuela, Chinese telecom and technology, and terrorist organizations.
Partner, S3 Group
Ashley is a business leader, public policy expert and highly sought after contributor on major news networks, podcasts and panels. Created and built start-up into multimillion-dollar business in midst of troubled economy. Highly skilled in managing profit and loss (P&L) statements and budgets. Demonstrated expertise in collaborating with both major political parties to accomplish organizational goals.
Member of BigSpeak Speakers Bureau, the leading business speakers bureau. Co-CEO of the Belizean Grove, an elite network of global women leaders. Member of the Economics Club of Washington DC. Member of the National Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors & Turning Point Brands, among other non profit boards.
Examining the risks and opportunities of AI, its intersection with cybersecurity, and the shifting U.S. approach to cyber defense.
Chairman at Good Harbor Security Risk Managment
Richard Clarke served in a number of senior national security positions for Presidents of both parties, including being confirmed by the Senate as Assistant Secretary of State and appointed Special Assistant to the President for Global Affairs. He was National Coordinator for Security and Counter-terrorism, was the first Special Advisor to the President for Cyberspace and authored the first National Strategy for Cyber Security. He was the national crisis manager on 9/11.
Following his 30 year government career, he taught at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, was an on-air national security commentator for ABC News for 15 years, authored ten books (non-fiction and fiction) in twelve languages, including a NYT #1 best seller, and hosted the podcast Future State. He co-chaired the Virginia governor’s cyber security board and served as a member of the NY governor’s cyber advisory board. He served on Pres. Obama’s five person Intelligence and Technology Review Group.
Counsel, Data and Tech Regulation, AI
Sean is counsel in the strategic risk and crisis management practice based in Washington, DC. Sean’s practice is cross-disciplinary, focusing on both high-stakes investigations in Congress and before federal agencies, as well as regulatory strategy and controversies in complex, highly regulated industries. He also consults on product design, compliance, and commercial matters, especially related to internet platform services, content moderation, machine learning artificial intelligence, and big data.
Prior to joining Freshfields, Sean was investigative counsel for the US House of Representatives. In that role, he conducted dozens of depositions of key witnesses, including members of Congress, and led inquiries as lead attorney investigating criminal allegations including corruption and fraud, conflicts of interest, campaign finance issues, and ethics violations under House rules.
Earlier in his career, Sean was an associate at Williams & Connolly LLP, where he specialized in complex litigation and white-collar defense. He is now also an adjunct Professor at the Georgetown University Law Center teaching a seminar on ethics, professional responsibility, and career development.
Analyzing the evolving global perception of the U.S., its impact on businesses, and the broader implications for trade, the economy, and stability.
Partner, Global Investigations
Eric is a nationally recognized trial lawyer who specializes in complex white-collar criminal defense matters, global investigations, crisis management, congressional investigations and bet-the-company civil litigation.
Eric regularly defends multinational companies and their officers and directors against allegations of bribery/Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations, money laundering, securities and accounting fraud, insider trading, antitrust violations, tax evasion, and violations of the World Bank’s Integrity Compliance Guidelines. He also frequently advises boards of directors and audit committees regarding complex cross-border litigation and investigations and develops strategies to favorably resolve those matters short of litigation.
While in government, Eric served as Counselor to the Attorney General of the United States and advised the Attorney General on all national security investigations, including cybersecurity, terrorism and espionage matters, and all cross-border criminal investigations and complex white-collar cases. Additionally, he served as Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division at the DOJ, advising on complex issues arising from securities fraud and insider trading cases, as well as a variety of national security matters.
Eric also served for more than 10 years as a federal prosecutor in the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York where he successfully prosecuted a wide range of cases, including complex white-collar frauds, international terrorism cases and high-profile extradition matters.
Partner and Co-Chair of Congressional Investigations
An investigations and crisis management veteran, Austin Evers draws on his experience at the intersection of litigation, politics, ethics, and public accountability to guide clients through a range of matters.
Austin brings perspective from the highest levels of government to his role as partner and co-chair of the firm’s Congressional Investigations team in Washington, DC, where his practice focuses on advising clients facing congressional investigations, government investigations and other crisis management issues. He is also incorrigibly collaborative, and syncs with clients and their teams to develop strategies that are tailored specifically to them.
Austin has a rare 360-degree view of how Washington’s most powerful institutions operate during times of intense scrutiny. Most recently, as Associate Deputy Attorney General in the Biden-Harris Administration, he counseled senior officials, including the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General, on all aspects of congressional investigations and risk management. He oversaw the Department of Justice’s responses to high-stakes investigations, preparing officials for testimony, responding to subpoenas, and advising on litigation. On a day to day basis, Austin supervised the Office of Legislative Affairs, which is responsible for DOJ’s congressional relations, and the Office of Information Policy, which handles Freedom of Information Act policy and litigation. He also engaged extensively with the Department’s divisions and components, as well as counterparts across the executive branch.
Austin also served as Senior Counsel at the State Department, where he oversaw responses to front page investigations, and Special Counsel at the Department of Defense, where he advised senior leaders on internal and public investigations into Afghanistan, the COVID 19 pandemic response, and military strikes.
Austin also founded and led a nonprofit organization specializing in strategic litigation and investigations. Over five years, he and his team brought more than 250 lawsuits and drove national headlines. This entrepreneurial venture established him as an innovative force in transparency and ethics advocacy, complementing his career in public service and private practice at a leading national law firm.
At the outset of his legal career, Austin clerked for Judge Mark Wolf of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts and Justice Robert Cordy of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
