At the Forefront of Everything Everywhere – SCG Legal Annual Meeting in Washington D.C.

Between accelerating technological change and a shifting geopolitical order, does business law still stay ahead of the disruptions it’s meant to anticipate?

That question and the challenges behind it were at the heart of the discussions at the SCG Legal Annual Meeting, which brought together the network’s 180+ member firms in Washington D.C. Veil Jourde was represented by three partners, members of its International Committee, Thomas Amico, Pierre Deval and Maxime Seno.

The agenda featured a rich, wide-ranging set of discussions: the impact of AI on legal service delivery, geopolitical upheaval and its effects on supply chains, the growing role of public affairs, market trends in M&A and disputes, and the specific challenges facing key sectors such as defense and infrastructure.

First highlight: Thomas Amico, White Collar Crime partner, spoke on the panel “Bribery works, compliance doesn’t”, a no-holds-barred discussion on the blind spots in compliance programs when it comes to international corruption.

Another highlight: a keynote from Laura DiBella, Chair of the Federal Maritime Commission. Leading the federal agency that regulates international ocean transportation, she detailed how Washington uses the extraterritorial reach of its law to shape competition, secure American ports, and protect its interests in global trade. A dynamic our clients navigating transatlantic business need to anticipate.

Beyond the conference itself, the trip was an opportunity to meet numerous American peer firms and institutional stakeholders, and to discuss regulatory and commercial developments between Europe and the United States.

Being where the rules of the game are written, and turning those signals into concrete strategy for our clients: that’s the promise of our approach, day to day and internationally in particular.