During the 8th Annual Government Enforcement Institute on Friday, September 16, 2022, Jackson Walker partner Erica Benites Giese will join a panel, entitled “Ethical Issues Facing In-House Counsel.” The panel will be moderated by Matthew G. Nielsen (Bracewell LLP) and include panelists Brent Basden (Koning Rubarts LLP) and Michael Jackman (Hudson Advisors L.P.).

During the discussion, Erica and her fellow panelists will cover ethical issues arising from internal and government investigations. They will address topics such as:

• navigating investigations of key officers and executives;
• considering when to report to the Board where management is reluctant to act; and
• waiver of privilege when reporting out of investigation results.

Presented by The University of Texas School of Law, the Government Enforcement Institute gathers enforcement practitioners, in-house counsel, compliance professionals, and agency personnel to discuss key issues and strategies for protecting companies and executives in government investigations. The conference takes place at Hotel ZaZa in Dallas, Texas, on September 15-16, 2022. In addition to Erica speaking on a panel, Jackson Walker partner Jennifer Freel served as a member of the conference planning committee.

Meet Erica

Before joining Jackson Walker’s Investigations & White Collar Defense group, Erica served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Western District of Texas. In that role, she served as Chief of the Financial Litigation Unit and the San Antonio and Del Rio divisions. She also spearheaded the creation of a Suspicious Activity Report Review Team in the San Antonio and Del Rio divisions, which resulted in her gaining a wealth of knowledge in Anti-Money Laundering compliance-related issues for financial institutions.

In her practice, Erica handles civil and criminal white collar investigation and litigation matters, qui tam complaints and investigations, healthcare fraud matters, government contract fraud inquiries, bank and wire fraud investigations, and immigration worksite enforcement actions. She helps clients navigate the daunting task of responding to civil, criminal and administrative subpoenas, including Civil Investigative Demands. Erica also advises and advocates for individual and corporate victims of fraud. A Certified Fraud Examiner, she is equipped to handle all types of fraud matters and internal investigations. Since 2019, Scene in S.A. has recognized Erica as one of the “Best S.A. Lawyers” in the area of criminal defense. Erica has tried over 100 cases to Texas juries.

Outside of Jackson Walker, Erica volunteers her time with the Hispanic National Bar Association as Deputy Region XII President and as a member of the Compliance and Ethics Section. She is also actively involved with the U.S. District Court Admissions Committee, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the American Bar Association’s Women’s White Collar Defense Section, and the Federal Bar Association’s San Antonio Chapter.