Ethical Issues in Internal Investigations and in Responding to Government Investigations

Catherine Kane Ronis is the Vice President & Associate General Counsel, Litigation and Investigations for BAE System, Inc. She manages complex litigation matters and government investigations, including False Claims Act cases, bid protests, commercial litigation, and other government contract disputes. In her role, Catherine is responsible for providing support and counseling to ensure that the legal rights of the Company and its business units are protected and enforced in connection with actual and threatened litigation in a timely and cost efficient manner. She also routinely counsels business clients on important non-litigation matters, including product safety issues and trade secret issues.

Before joining BAE Systems, Catherine was a partner in a major international law firm. As part of her practice, Catherine successfully counseled several Fortune 50 companies on regulatory matters and led a number of large teams in a variety of litigation and investigation matters before the federal and state courts, and regulatory agencies. Catherine also volunteered her time representing indigent clients at the Legal Aid Society.

Catherine graduated magna cum laude from Syracuse University College of Law, where she received numerous awards, was on the Deans’ List, and was a Senior Editor for the Syracuse Law Review. Catherine received her undergraduate degree from Holy Cross College with a double major in economics and political science.

Jennifer Mattis is the Senior Investigation Counsel at Northrop Grumman Corporation.

Brenda Morris is the Vice President & Assistant General Counsel at Sealed Air Corporation. Brenda manages global litigation involving intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions, class action lawsuits, employment and contract issues, internal investigations, as well as directors, officers and shareholder disputes. She leads Sealed Air's regulatory compliance programs and policy enhancements to promote Sealed Air's commitment to global sustainability and conducting business with integrity.

Brenda earned her JD at Howard University School of Law.

Ms. Bennett has deep experience counseling clients on the investigation, defense, and resolution of white collar matters, as well as the corporate compliance programs designed to avoid such liabilities. She has represented numerous Fortune 100 corporate and individual clients in matters relating to potential violations of criminal or civil fraud statutes, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the False Claims Act, the Anti-Kickback Act, and antitrust laws. She has also represented companies in matters implicating the federal mandatory and voluntary disclosure rules and brought those matters to successful resolution. She has conducted internal investigations in cases across the globe and represented companies before the Criminal and Civil Divisions of the Department of Justice as well as the Securities and Exchange Commission, in all phases of U.S. government investigations and settlement.

Ms. Bennett’s fluency in Spanish has enabled her to conduct many investigations in that language. In addition to her extensive investigation and defense experience, Ms. Bennett has years of FCPA compliance counseling experience. She regularly advises corporate clients on their anti-corruption compliance programs and on specific policies, procedures and compliance questions. She has also designed and led large-scale corporate compliance reviews and audits.

Ms. Bennett clerked for the Honorable Robert W. Sweet of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and for the Honorable David S. Tatel of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Ms. Bennett entered private practice after serving as a federal criminal defense lawyer in the District of Columbia Federal Public Defenders’ office. Ms. Bennett is also Chair of the Public International and Criminal Law Subcommittee for the District of Columbia Bar, International Law Community, 2017-2018.