Stanford Directors' College 2019: The Event Directors Don't Want to Miss

From June 23rd to the 25th, 2019, Stanford will host its 25th annual Directors' College. Stanford's Directors' College is one of the premier director education events in the country. Each year directors from public companies convene with nationally recognized experts to address current issues facing Corporate America.

In fact, the Stanford Directors' College is one of our top picks in Woodruff-Sawyer's 2019 Board Education Resource Guide.

This year's lineup of keynote speakers includes the following and more:

• Jay Clayton, Chairman, US Securities and Exchange Commission
• Adena Friedman, President and CEO, Nasdaq, Inc.
• Tricia Griffith, President and Chief Executive Officer, Progressive; Director, FedEx Corporation
• Oscar Munoz, CEO, United Airlines
• Ruth Porat, CFO, Alphabet

In addition to the keynotes, there is always plenty of interesting sessions. I'll be involved with two panels this year:

Defend Your Company, Defend Yourself: Private Litigation Strategies

June 24, 11:10 am

I've moderated a version of this panel in the past, and the discussion is always a good one. The panel will discuss current litigation issues for corporations, directors, and officers. The panelists will share practical strategies for minimizing and insuring against today's risks.

I'll be moderating this session with expert panelists:

• Sara Brody, Partner, Sidley Austin LLP
• David Priebe, Partner, DLA Piper
• Gidon Caine, Partner, Alston & Bird

If you're interested in learning more on this topic:

• Insurance Pays Massive $240 Million Wells Fargo Derivative Suit Settlement––What this Means for Your Standalone Side A D&O Insurance
• Yahoo: The Cyber Breach Cautionary Tale That Keeps on Giving
• #MeToo Movement: Still Going Strong in Corporate America
• How Often Do You Need to Bolster Your Defense Arsenal? (Updating Personal Indemnification Agreements)
• Personal Indemnification Agreements Foot the Legal Bill for Directors BEFORE D&O Insurance

Mergers & Acquisitions

June 24, 1:45 pm

In this intensive session, we'll discuss M&A strategies and implementation from both the buyer side and seller side, including director fiduciary responsibilities in M&A transactions, and more.

I'll be speaking at this session with expert panelists:

• Tad Freese, Partner, Latham & Watkins LLP
• Joseph Grundfest, W. A. Franke Professor of Law and Business and Senior Faculty—Rock Center for Corporate Governance, Stanford Law School
• David Handler, Partner, Centerview Partners
• Sonia Nijjar, Partner, Skadden

If you're interested in learning more on this topic:

• Your Job or Mine? The Differing Roles of Corporate Directors and Officers
• Can You Insure Against Buying the Next Enron? (co-author)
• D&O versus Reps and Warranties Insurance: The Right Tool for the Job
• A new Twist in M&A Litigation: Section 11 in State Court
• Two Little Letters, Big Litigation Consequences: The Emulex Corporation M&A

You can view the full event agenda here including the optional Sunday session.