Kathryn Cameron Atkinson is the Chair of the International Department and a member of the firm's Executive Committee. Her practice focuses on international corporate compliance, including, in particular, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), as well as export controls and economic sanctions, and anti-money laundering laws. She advises clients on corruption issues around the world. This advice has included compliance with the FCPA and related laws and international treaties in a wide variety of contexts, including transactional counseling, formal opinions, internal investigations, enforcement actions by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and resulting monitorships, as well as commercial litigation raising improper payment issues. Ms. Atkinson served as the government-appointed Independent Compliance Monitor for KBR, Inc. in an FCPA matter settled with the DOJ and SEC. She was a member of the original Transparency International task force that developed a compliance toolkit for small and medium-sized entities. She co-produced, with Homer E. Moyer, Jr., "Comply But Compete," a versatile, video-based FCPA training program.
On the compliance side of the practice, Ms. Atkinson focuses in particular on the design and implementation of custom-tailored international regulatory compliance programs for large and small companies in a wide range of industries. Her compliance practice includes performing compliance due diligence in mergers and acquisitions, designing and performing compliance audits and assessments, training company personnel and third parties, and working with companies to design tailored safeguards in complex business transactions and relationships with third parties.
Ms. Atkinson's recent accomplishments include creating and chairing an annual International Corporate Compliance Conference, sponsored by the Institute for International and Comparative Law (IICL) of the Center for American and International Law (CAIL). The conference provides a coordinated discussion by government, in-house, and outside experts on key international compliance issues facing U.S. and multinational companies. Ms. Atkinson is an active member of the Executive Committee of the CAIL and assists in designing continuing legal education (CLE) programs for foreign lawyers.
Ms. Atkinson speaks regularly on compliance at national conferences, is an active participant in International Bar Association (IBA), American Conference Institute (ACI), and other conferences on corruption, and has published articles regarding the FCPA and multilateral anti-corruption efforts and conventions.
While at Cornell Law School, Ms. Atkinson was the Executive Editor of the Cornell International Law Journal.
Rankings and Recognition
" Chambers USA: International Trade: FCPA Experts (National), 2012
" Ethisphere Institute's Attorneys Who Matter (Up and Comers/Rising Stars), 2012
Professional and Community Involvement
" Creator and Co-Chair, Forum on International Corporate Compliance, Institute for International and Comparative Law, Center for American and International Law
" Member, Executive Committee, Institute for International and Comparative Law, Center for American and International Law
" Member, International Bar Association Anti-Corruption Committee
" Member, President's Council of Cornell Women
Bar Admissions
" District of Columbia
" Pennsylvania
Foreign Languages
" German
Education
" J.D., Cornell Law School, 1992
" B.A., Johns Hopkins University, Departmental Honors, 1989