Burton Award Goes to Ryan Rohlfsen and Timothy Farrell for Analysis of FCPA Pilot Program

In The News
March 22, 2017

Chicago-based government enforcement partner Ryan Rohlfsen and government enforcement associate Timothy Farrell have been awarded a “2017 Law360 Distinguished Legal Writing Award” through the Burton Awards. The authors have received their award for writing “The Pilot Program in Practice: A Comparison of Pre- and Post-Program Resolutions,” published by The FCPA Report in July 2016.

In their article, Messrs. Rohlfsen and Farrell analyze and chart the outcomes in cases stemming from the U.S. Department of Justice Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) Pilot Program. The Department of Justice signaled in April 2016 major developments in its anti-bribery enforcement initiatives with the release of its Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Enforcement Plan and Guidance, creating the FCPA Pilot Program. In June 2016, the DOJ announced its first declinations since releasing the Guidance, confirming that incentives are indeed there for business organizations that voluntarily self-disclose FCPA violations promptly, investigate, and provide fulsome cooperation and remediation. The DOJ signaled in March 2017 it would continue the FCPA Pilot Program while it evaluates the program’s effectiveness, despite initial indications that the program might end in April 2017.

The Burton Awards, established in 1999, is funded by the Burton Foundation, a non-profit, academic effort devoted to recognizing and rewarding excellence in the legal profession. The Burton Awards, and its Law360-sponsored “Distinguished Legal Writing Awards,” honors the finest accomplishments in law, including writing, reform, public service and interest, regulatory innovation, and lifetime achievements in the profession.  The 25 winners, who will be presented the “Law360 Distinguished Writing Awards” on May 22, 2017, were chosen from the nominations submitted by the nation’s top 1,000 most prestigious and largest law firms.

The awards will be presented at the 18th annual Burton Awards ceremony at the Library of Congress on May 22, 2017. At this year’s ceremony, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will receive the “Book of the Year in Law Award” for her work, “My Own Words.” During the program, the Justice will be interviewed on the impact of her book.