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    May 20, 2026

Takeaways From the Rovirosa Reversal

The case against Mexican national Ramon Alexandro Rovirosa Martinez was already a rare example of an FCPA prosecution brought to trial. It is now rarer still after Judge Kenneth Hoyt overturned the jury’s guilty verdict. The Anti-Corruption Report spoke with defense counsel to unpack the decision and tease out lessons for FCPA defendants and their attorneys. See “A Typical Bribery Fact Pattern Leads to a Quick Guilty Verdict for Rovirosa” (Feb. 11, 2026).

How Anti-DEI EO 14398 Impacts Government Contractors

An executive order issued by the White House in March 2026 imposes significant new requirements on federal contractors who previously were encouraged and required to maintain equal opportunity programs to remain eligible for federal contracts. Relying on the premise that diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs constitute civil rights violations, executive order 14398 (EO 14398) reverses that longstanding policy in favor of prohibiting some such programs on pain of debarment and prosecution for failure to reverse course. In this guest article, Smith Currie Oles partner Jacob Scott explains that the requirements themselves, along with the resolution of a related False Claims Act case, indicate that federal contractors face serious threats from EO 14398. See our two-part series on the 2025 Federal Approach to DEI: “Understanding the EOs and Guidance” (Aug. 27, 2025), and “Enforcement, Litigation and How to Respond” (Sep. 10, 2025).

International Defense Counsel Reflect on the 2026 State of Global Enforcement

As U.S. white-collar enforcement continues to be in a state of flux, international enforcement is an increasingly relevant element of risk management for multinational corporations. At the American Bar Association’s White Collar Crime Institute held in March 2026, defense counsel from the U.S., U.K., France, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Brazil provided updates from their respective jurisdictions and reflected on the state of international cooperation, including the impact of the International Anti-Corruption Prosecutorial Taskforce. This article distills their insights. See “How the International Anti-Corruption Task Force Is Working” (Mar. 11, 2026).

Alabama and Oklahoma Introduce Virginia-Style Privacy Laws

After no state enacted a comprehensive privacy law in 2025, Alabama and Oklahoma moved ahead with Virginia-style statutes in early 2026. Now there are 21 states with such laws, deepening the patchwork of privacy rules as Congress again weighs federal action. This article reviews key provisions of the pair of new state privacy laws, discusses trends in the U.S. privacy law landscape and offers compliance tips, with insights from experts at Covington, Hogan Lovells and Miller Nash. See “Navigating U.S. Privacy Laws in Internal Investigations” (Aug. 28, 2024).

Five Tips for Working With and Around Blocking Statutes

Blocking statutes are laws that govern what information can travel out of a given country. They can create conflicts when a company faces an investigation in the U.S. where prosecutors expect the company to produce all relevant evidence. A recent webinar hosted by Gibson Dunn provided a multinational perspective on the blocking statutes of France, Switzerland and China; explained how U.S. authorities and courts handle these statutes; and suggested five tips for companies on how to deal with them. This article summarizes the key takeaways. See “How Internal Investigations Can Let the Compliance Team Shine” (Jan. 29, 2025).

Ryan Rohlfsen Jumps to Latham

Former federal prosecutor Ryan Rohlfsen has joined Latham & Watkins’ Chicago office as a partner in the firm’s white-collar defense and investigations practice. He arrives from Ropes & Gray. For commentary from Rohlfsen, see our four-part series on risk assessments in Trump 2.0: “Back to Basics” (Aug. 27, 2025), “Reassessing in the Great American Reset” (Sep. 24, 2025), “Who and When” (Nov. 5, 2025), and “Employing Data and Emerging Technologies” (Dec. 31, 2025).

Taft Welcomes Former SDNY Prosecutor to Newly Launched New York Office

Former federal prosecutor Jamie Nawaday has joined Taft’s newly launched New York office as a partner in the compliance, investigations and white collar defense practice. She arrives from Seward & Kissel. For commentary from Nawaday, see our two-part series on the FCPA Executive Order: “The Future of U.S. Enforcement” (Mar. 12, 2025), and “Staying the Course in the Face of Continued Risk” (Mar. 26, 2025).

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