You may have heard the question, “Why hold the 2024 annual conference in
Oklahoma City?” You may have even asked the question yourself. The 195
NAFUSA members and guests who signed up for this year’s conference now
know the answer – OKC is fabulous with a modern upbeat welcoming vibe and
a walkable downtown and beautiful green spaces. The conference venue -the
National Hotel – wowed even the most experienced travelers with its stunning
art deco décor, amazing bars and restaurants, helpful staff and large
comfortable rooms. It was a great conference experience. Thanks, John
Richter, for bringing the conference to OKC!

The Wednesday night Opening Reception, sponsored again this year in fine
style by long-time NAFUSA supporter Guidepost Solutions, was held in the
National Hotel’s Library of Distilled Spirits. The “Library” was built into the
space which formerly housed the massive vault of the building’s original
tenant, the First National Bank. The imaginative and brilliantly lit space was
the perfect backdrop for reuniting with DOJ colleagues and old friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After opening remarks by NAFUSA president John Richter and Executive
Director Wendy Goggin, the CLE programming began on Thursday morning
with a presentation on the Intersection of Law, Ethics, and Public Relations in
High Profile Litigation and Investigations. The panel, moderated by Robert
Conrad, former U.S. Attorney WDNC and now Director of the Administrative
Office of the U.S. Courts, was a timely discussion of handling press/public
disclosures from the perspective of public relations experts and lawyers and
the benefits of working together on high profile matters.

The second panel of the day featured current and former DOJ officials
discussing emerging issues in cross-border enforcement and the challenges
facing DOJ, corporations and defense counsel. DOJ’s Director of the Office of
International Affairs and the Chief of the Criminal Division’s Money
Laundering and Asset Forfeiture Recovery Section joined Mark Mendelsohn,
former Deputy Chief of the Fraud Section for this presentation.

Conference attendees enthusiastically responded to the Conversation with
Former Ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan. His remarks were timely, candid
and displayed a wealth of understanding of historical events and how those
events shape the current landscape in Russia, Ukraine and the Middle East
and impact Americans. As one NAFUSA member opined, we learned so much
from him and could have happily listened to him speak all afternoon.

On Thursday afternoon, conference attendees were treated to tours of the
Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum which was a short walk from
the conference hotel. The Museum is a powerful reminder of the tragedy of the
bombing of the Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995, in which 168 people
were killed. The tour featured the Survivor’s Wall, a tribute to the more than
600 people who survived the blast. Many NAFUSA members have personal
recollections of the horrors of that day or were involved with the investigations
and trials which followed. For those, and all the attendees who visited the
Museum, it was a sobering experience.

The program continued Friday morning after Thursday evening’s class dinners
at various OKC restaurants and night spots. Gary Restaino, USA Arizona and
vice-chair of the AGAC joined then Acting EOUSA Director Norm Wong for an
update on DOJ issues along with insight on USA staffing challenges. This was
followed by the annual Supreme Court Review, presented by Ethan Davis of
King & Spalding.

The last panel presentation was moderated by NAFUSA vice president
Catherine Hanaway and featured speakers with impressive backgrounds and
extraordinary breadth of knowledge on the topic of generative AI and its
ethical and practical uses in legal practice. After the presentation, the panel
fielded questions which demonstrated the importance of these issues to our
membership.

The final presentation of the morning before the general meeting and election
of officers and new board members, was the presentation of the J. Michael
Bradford Award. The remarks given by award members in the past have been
conference highlights and this year was no different. John Romano, AUSA DNJ
received the award from NAFUSA Secretary Tim Purdon, and then captured
the respect and admiration of conference attendees with his extraordinary case review of United States v Jackson, “Finding Justice After a Decade of
Prosecutions…”

The conference ended Friday night with a delicious dinner at Vast Restaurant,
the best view in Oklahoma and entertaining remarks by new board member
Scott Schools.