Wilson Sonsini's State Attorneys General (AG) webinar series offers a unique opportunity to hear directly from current and former state AG leaders who have led high-profile investigations and state enforcement challenges, and gain insights that can help you safeguard your company's reputation and navigate regulatory scrutiny.
This series will explore a variety of issues, including:
|
Virtual |
Virtual |
Thursday, May 28
Session 1: How to Effectively Navigate State AG Investigations in 2026
In recent years, state AGs have increasingly asserted their influence and expanded their role in white-collar and regulatory enforcement, creating complex legal and reputational challenges for companies. Please join Chris Chiou, Trina Higgins, and Nick Trutanich (former First Assistant Attorney General and Chief of Staff for the Nevada Attorney General's Office) for a practical session on how to prepare for and respond to high-stakes investigations where legal strategy and public perception collide.
Wednesday, June 3
Session 2: State AG Scrutiny: What It Means for Deals and Business Strategy
State AGs are playing an extremely active role in U.S. antitrust and consumer protection enforcement, at times moving faster and more aggressively than federal regulators. Please join Antitrust and Competition partners Beau Buffier and Ben Labow—alumni of the New York and California AG offices, respectively—as they discuss with Paula Blizzard (Senior Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, California Attorney General's Office) what this heightened focus may mean for company transactions and business objectives, as well as how to stay ahead of a more complex, multi-front enforcement landscape.
Adam Pilkington
apilkington@wsgr.com
Chris Chiou is a litigation partner in the Los Angeles office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. He represents clients in high-stakes complex commercial litigation and investigations, with an emphasis on business disputes. Chris is experienced in all stages of litigation, from counseling clients before lawsuits are filed through trying cases before juries. He also leads internal investigations on behalf of corporations and advises them on compliance issues, including providing Foreign Corrupt Practices Act training to executives at multinational companies. Chris is certified by the International Association of Privacy Professionals in information privacy and data protection.
Before joining the firm, Chris served as Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada. As the district’s chief federal law enforcement officer, he oversaw criminal and civil cases brought on behalf of the United States, including financial litigation cases, and prosecuted cybercrime (particularly ransomware and business email compromise), white collar crime, and public corruption. In 2021, Chris served on a nationwide task force to determine how the U.S. Department of Justice can more effectively combat hate crimes and hate incidents.
Chris was previously a partner at Jenner & Block, where he helped start the Los Angeles office in 2009.
Trina Higgins serves as Of Counsel in the Salt Lake City office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where she brings extensive legal expertise and experience.
Beau Buffier is an antitrust partner in the New York and Boston offices of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where his practice focuses on defending clients in merger investigations before the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice as well as non-U.S. antitrust agencies including the CMA (UK). Beau also represents domestic and foreign clients in connection with various antitrust issues concerning cartel matters, abuse of dominance, joint ventures, distribution arrangements, intellectual property, competitor collaborations and Hart-Scott-Rodino compliance. Beau has defended substantive merger investigations and other civil and criminal investigations involving a wide variety of industries, including semiconductors, telecommunications, enterprise software, internet platforms, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, chemicals, retailing, airlines, automotive parts, and entertainment and ticketing.
Ben advises clients on antitrust issues, such as M&A clearance, pricing, and distribution.