Slavery in the Supply Chain

The ACC Colorado International Practice group is planning to co-sponsor a CLE event on the topic of “Slavery in the Supply Chain” to address supply chain compliance issues involving human trafficking and/or forced labor/child labor. 

4:30-5:00pm: Registration

5:00-6:30pm: Panel Discussion

6:30-7:30pm: Networking & Cocktails

Our co-sponsors and panelists are Perkins Coie, Molson Coors and International Justice Mission.

Forced labor’s impact on supply chains is the emerging ‘‘hot topic’’ in today’s boardrooms, not to mention among consumer groups, class action attorneys, the media, and advocacy organizations. The International Labor Organization estimates that some 21 million people are victims of forced labor, and that forced labor annually generates $150 billion in illegal profits.

This timely panel will cover key aspects of the UK Modern Slavery Act of 2015, the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act, the Federal Acquisition Regulation on Human Trafficking in Government Contracts, the EU disclosure directives, and Congressional action to close the Tariff Act of 1930’s loophole concerning importation of goods made with forced labor, all of which are part of a broader effort to recruit/conscript the global business community into the fight against trafficking and forced labor.

Our esteemed panel will include:

Markus Funk is the Firmwide Chair of Perkins Coie’s White Collar & Investigations practice. Prior to joining the firm, Markus served as a decorated federal prosecutor in Chicago, Section Chief with the U.S. State Department-Balkans, clerk with the federal court of appeals and district court, and law professor at Oxford University and the University of Chicago. Markus has authored Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking: Examining the Global Challenges and U.S. Responses (Rowman Littlefield, 2nd ed. 2016; co-authored with Chicago U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Kendall); The ABA Compliance Officer’s Deskbook (American Bar Association, 2017); and From Baksheesh to Bribery:  Tracing the Global Fight Against Corruption and Graft (Oxford University Press, 2019).

Eric Gunning is the VP, Global Legal and Corporate Affairs at Molson Coors. Eric is responsible for Molson Coors Brewing Company’s global corporate governance, securities, strategy, M&A, corporate affairs and ethics & compliance functions and initiatives.

A representative from International Justice Mission, the world’s largest anti-slavery NGO, will discuss their model of partnering with local law enforcement to strengthen public justice systems, and highlight their recent collaborations with corporations such as Walmart and Target to address slavery in supply chains.

This event will provide an opportunity for:  

• CLE credit (1.5 hours)
• educating yourself as a consumer of globally-sourced goods
• doing good by learning how to leverage your organization’s influence to fight human trafficking
• getting some of your questions answered by experts
• networking with like-minded colleagues, and
• enjoying food and drink provided by our co-sponsor – Perkins Coie.