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Reagan Demas

Reagan R. Demas

Principal
Baker & McKenzie LLP

Biography

Reagan Demas has significant experience working on behalf of companies and investors in emerging markets and high risk jurisdictions. He has managed major legal compliance investigations for a variety of Fortune 500 companies and negotiated settlements before the US Department of Justice, US Securities and Exchange Commission, and other federal and state regulatory entities, obtaining declinations in a number of matters. He has also conducted risk assessments and due diligence in a variety of legal compliance matters for companies across industries and has worked on the ground evaluating partnerships, investments and other business opportunities worldwide. Reagan has written and spoken extensively on emerging compliance trends, ESG legal risk and best practices, bribery/corruption and doing business in Africa. In 2019, Reagan was selected as a BTI Client Service All Star by corporate counsel in recognition of being a leader in superior client service. He is the founder and chief editor of Baker McKenzie's Global Supply Chain Compliance Blog and serves on the steering committee of the North American Litigation and Government Enforcement Practice Group.

Reagan serves as a member of the Global Steering Committee of the Firm's Industrials, Manufacturing and Transportation (IMT) Industry Group.

Practice Focus

Reagan helps companies effectively and efficiently identify and address legal compliance risk around the world. He focuses his practice on global supply chain compliance, anti-corruption and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, fraud, business ethics, human rights and corporate compliance. He provides practical solutions on issues of trade, taxation, investment, entity registration, security, risk management and expatriate employment. He conducts investigations, risk assessments, training and due diligence on behalf of clients in Africa and other emerging markets, and is a leading thinker in the area of environmental, social and governance (ESG) and human rights-related legal obligations and emerging regulatory regimes. Reagan has written and spoken extensively on emerging compliance trends, ethics, corruption and doing business in Africa.

Representative Legal Matters

  • Managed and conducted a full-scale internal investigation on behalf of a global freight forwarder on potential violations of the FCPA and other compliance issues in six North and West African nations, as part of a US Department of Justice investigation.
  • Conducted an investigation for a US listed retailer and services company into allegations of fraud and improper revenue recognition practices.
  • Assisted a US-based product distributor in restructuring its Nigerian operations in compliance with US and Nigerian law.
  • Conducted onsite customs-related compliance assessments in six countries in Africa, Asia and South America for a multinational drilling company.
  • Conducted an investigation into fraud and money laundering allegations on behalf of a Fortune 500 company's operations in Argentina.
  • Counseled a global services corporation on security and legal issues in Nigeria's delta region.
  • Conducted an investigation for a US listed retailer and services company into allegations of fraud and improper revenue recognition practices.
  • Acted for a US-based global oil and gas service provider in drafting anti-corruption and trade compliance manuals and associated materials. Trained over 1,000 employees in six African countries on FCPA and local law compliance.
  • Managed investigation of potential violations of the FCPA in China by a listed global oil and gas services company, including disclosure and reporting to the US Department of Justice and the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
  • Served as compliance consultant to a global freight forwarder and a logistics provider post-DOJ/SEC settlement and delivered regular reports to DOJ/SEC as required under the Deferred Prosecution Agreement.

Admissions

  • District of Columbia~United States (2009)
  • California~United States (2001)

Education

  • Harvard Law School (J.D.) (2000)
  • Stanford University (B.A., Distinction) (1997)

Languages

  • English

Publications & Presentations

Presentations

  • Speaker and Presenter, "Innovative Strategies for Conflict Management: Improving Investor-State Relations to Propel Global Growth," St. Thomas University School of Law, Minneapolis, February 2020

  • Plenary Speaker, "An Ethical Corporate Culture as a Legal, Compliance, Business and Investor Priority," ACI’s 36th International Conference on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, December 2019

  • Plenary Speaker, "11th Annual Global Ethics Summit," NY, March 2019

  • Organizer and Moderator, "Supply Chain Risks & Rewards in Emerging Markets" annual conference, Washington, DC, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020

  • Organizer and Moderator, "Supply Chain Risks & Rewards in Emerging Markets," Washington, DC, 15 March 2018

Baker & McKenzie LLP is a Limited Liability Partnership organized under the laws of the State of Illinois (USA) and is a member of Baker & McKenzie International, a Verein organized under the laws of Switzerland.